Today we bring you Ulysse Nardin and the Marine Chronometer Manufacture Only Watch.
Ulysse Nardin
Founded in 1846, Ulysse Nardin was named after its founder, an accomplished watchmaker who trained in horology under his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, and perfected his skills under the tutelage of Frederic William Dubois and Louis JeanRichard-dit-Bressel, two master watchmakers whose fame extended beyond the mountains of Neuchatel, Switzerland. The company has operated out of the same building headquartered in Le Locle, Switzerland since 1865.
In its over 165 years of history, Ulysse Nardin had been widely respected as a specialist in marine chronometers. Among the most reliable and accurate ever made, Ulysse Nardin’s marine chronometers have seen service with the navies of some 50 countries during the mid-1800s. It's consistent excellence has also been recognized by the award of 18 international gold medals and 4,300 first prizes in chronometrics.
Innovation & Science
In 1983, the company was acquired by businessman Rolf Schnyder who, in conjunction with watchmaker Prof. Ludwig Oechslin, relaunched the brand. Schnyder and Oechslin, going against the mainstream current of Swiss watchmaking would combine both science and innovation to give flight to a new pursuit: to produce ground breaking complication timepieces using modern materials and manufacturing techniques.
Today, Ulysse Nardin continues these traditions to develop and produce specialized timepieces of the highest technical level in limited quantity. The company continues in its spirit of innovation and creativity.
The Ulysse Nardin Watch Academy awards grants and scholarships to qualified watchmakers, engineers, technicians or other professionals to further pursue research and developments of new technologies and materials for the watch industry.
Video highlighting procedures at Ulysse Nardin.
Combining Art and Precision, the Only Watch Marine Chronometer Manufacture of Ulysse Nardin features a 43mm, 18ct rose gold case engraved 1/1 on the side plate and is highlighted by a handcrafted Grand Feu enamel dial. It houses the UN-118 manufacture's caliber with an anchor escapement in DiamonSil and Ulysse Nardin's own oscillator and its patented hairspring.
Catalogue Description:
Ulysse Nardin Marine
Chronometer Manufacture
for Only Watch
Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer
Manufacture
Ref. 1186-126/OW
A fine and unique 18K gold self-winding
chronometer wristwatch with power reserve,
date and enamel dial.
C. Three-body, solid, polished, transparent
case back with 6 screws, protected
screwed down winding crown covered with
rubber, sapphire crystals. D. White "email" grand feu, black
Roman numerals, oversized subsidiary
seconds dial, in the center in red
numerals the word "Only Watch",
graduation for the up and down
indication at 12, outer minute track,
magnified aperture for the date at 6.
Skeleton hands. M. Cal. UN-118, 11 1/2", Côtes
de Genève and circular Côtes de Genève
decoration, 50 jewels, in-house designed
movement, escapement patented DIAMon-
SIL, oscillator : patented inertial balance
wheel l 10 with silicium hairspring. Power
reserve of 60 hours.
Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron, an independent watchmaker in Geneva, Switzerland. Besides being a young businessman, Vacheron was also a talented craftsman. In 1770 his company created the first complication, and nine years later he designed the first engine-turned dials.
The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham, took over the family business in 1785. During this period the company was able to survive the French Revolution (1789–1799). Later, in 1810, Jaques-Barthélemy Vacheron, the grandson of the founder, became the head of the company. He was the first to initiate the company's exports to France and Italy.
Later, Jaques-Barthélemy realized that he was not able to handle his business alone. In order to travel overseas and sell the company's products, he needed a partner. Consequently, in 1819 François Constantin became the associate of Vacheron. The company continued its activity under the name Vacheron & Constantin.
François Constantin traveled around the world and marketed watches. Thus he helped the company to open new markets. The main market was North America. The company's motto (which remains today), "Do better if possible and that is always possible," first appeared in Constantin's letter to Jaques-Barthélémy. The letter was dated July 5, 1819.
In 1839 Vacheron & Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot. His job was to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor and his creations turned out to be successful for the company. His inventions had a great impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize watch movements into Calibers.
In 1844 Georges-Auguste Leschot was awarded with a gold medal. The Arts Society of Geneva highly appreciated his pantographic device, a device that was able to mechanically engrave small watch parts and dials. This invention pushed Vacheron & Constantin forward much further than other watchmakers.
Later, after Constantin's death in 1854, and Vacheron's death in 1863, the company was taken over by a series of heirs. At one point, the company was headed by two women.
In 1862 Vacheron Constantin became a member of the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials. Later in 1885, the company created the first nonmagnetic timepiece which included a complete lever assortment made of materials able to withstand magnetic fields. Its construction included a balance wheel, balance spring and lever shaft that were made of palladium, the lever arms—in bronze and the escape wheel was in gold.
In 1877 "Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Geneve" became the official name of the company. In 1880, Vacheron & Constantin started using its symbol, which is kept till nowadays, the Maltese cross. The latter was inspired by a component of the barrel. The part had a cross-shape and it was used for limiting the tension within the mainspring.
In 1887, was reorganized into a stock company. For the remarkable achievements of the company it was awarded with a gold medal at Swiss National Exhibition. The event took place in Geneva in 1887.
The first boutique in Geneva was opened by Vacheron Constantin in 1906. This store can be seen today on Quai de l’Ile. During the Great Depression Vacheron & Constantin found itself in a difficult situation and the only one to bring hope was Charles Constantin. He became the head of the company in 1936 and it was the first time since 1850s that a representative of the Constantin family received the position of Vacheron & Constantin's president.
In 1970 the "&" was dropped from Vacheron & Constantin.
In 1979 Vacheron Constantin made Kallista, one of the most expensive wristwatches. Its initial price was $5 million, but today the watch is valued at about $11 million. Kallista had 118 emerald-cut diamonds. It took about 6,000 hours for the watch masters to make this watch and about 20 months for jewelers to enrich the watch.
In 1987, Vacheron Constantin changed hands, Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia, Harvard MBA, and avid watch collector, became majority shareholder, who then folded VC into his personal portfolio of holdings. There are those that would argue that VC stagnated during this phase. As with any subjective generalization, this may not be entirely fair or accurate. In 1996 the entire share capital of the company was bought by Richemont Group.
In 2003 Vacheron Constantin introduced a new sports line called Overseas, and a collection called Egérie, the first to include watches for women.
In 2004 Vacheron Constantin opened its new headquarters and manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva.
The Richemont Group named Juan Carlos Torres as the Chief Executive Officer of the company in October 2005. Vacheron Constantin is considered to be company that was able to create one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world entitled "Tour de I'lle". It was created in 2005 to mark the anniversary of 250 years of Vacheron Constantin. The watch includes 834 parts and 16 horological complications. It was only available through the Vacheron Constantin shop in Geneva, Switzerland and sold for more than $1 million.
In 2007 Vacheron Constantin introduced the Metiers d'Art 'Les Masques' collection of timepieces featuring miniature reproductions of primitive art masks. The company selected twelve masks from a private museum collection and reproduced the masks on a small scale. The miniaturized masks are featured in the dial center of every watch from the 'Les Masques' collection.
Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. It is also widely considered as one of the "Big 3" watch brands, the other two being Audemars-Piguet and Patek Philippe.
The Patrimony Traditionelle World Time:
The one-of-a-kind Patrimony Traditionelle World Time model specially created for Only Watch 2013 brings together a set of exclusive skills cultivated by Vacheron Constantin.
The dial paying tribute to three artistic crafts - engraving, enamelling and gem-setting - illustrates the aesthetic mastery dear to the Manufacture, while the world time complication embodies the technical excellence and the open-minded spirit that have been guiding the House for over 250 years.
Catalogue Description:
Vacheron Constantin
Patrimony Traditionelle world
Time for Only Watch
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony
Traditionelle World Time,
Ref. 86060/000P-9894
A fine and unique self-winding platinum
wristwatch with champlevé enamel dial and
world time indication. Accompanied by a
box and certificate.
C. Exhibition back, secured
with screws, water resistance tested
to pressure equivalent to 3 bar,
“Only Watch 2013, Pièce unique”
inscription engraved
on the back of the watch. D. 1 central gold dial with
hand-engraved seas coated with
translucent and opalescent enamel
and a map of part of Europe in
translucent and opalescent champlevé
enamel. City of Monaco symbolized
by a round diamond, 1 metal dial with
black painted cities, Monaco painted
in red. 24 full time zones show in black
and 13 quarter-hour or half-hour time
zones shown in grey, 1 sapphire dial
with 24-hour display and indication
of the night zone in red and of the day
zone in white, Metal ring with black
painted minute circle and appliqued
18K gold hour-markers. M. 2460WT, developed
and crafted by Vacheron Constantin,
bearing the prestigious Poinçon
de Genève (Hallmark of Geneva)
27 jewels, mechanical self-winding,
36.6mm. (11’’’ 1/4) in diameter,
7.55 mm. thick. Approximately
40-hour power reserve, 4Hz (28,800
vibrations/hour), 255 parts.
Today we present theOne Week Skeleton Water Only Watch 2013 from Armin Strom.
ARMIN STROM
The development of a watch is preceded by an idea.
Armin Strom AG has its roots in the picturesque town of Burgdorf located northwest of Bern. The history of the watch factory begins with the founder and namesake of the business, Armin Strom. After completing his watchmaking apprenticeship and gaining early independent business experiences in Lotzwil and St. Moritz, the still young Armin Strom opened his own shop in the Altstadt (Old Town) area of Burgdorf in the year 1967. In addition to selling and restoring watches, he soon began working on his own creations in the workroom behind the shop. His first masterpiece was a gold pocket watch, with a hand-engraved dial in polished blue lapis lazuli. His mature manual dexterity and incredible attention to detail soon made the budding watchmaker aware of where to specialize in his valuable items: the art of skeletonizing.
Armin Strom History 2
His idea of cutting away all the parts of the movement which have no active function for its operation characterizes the appearance of Armin Strom watches to this day. He then set about engraving and decorating the remaining parts with intricate detailing and fitting them into fine cases, all with the greatest of care. Although initially available only from his shop, creations from Armin Strom were first presented at the internationally renowned Basel Watch and Jewellery Fair in 1984. The business really took off from that time.
These incomparable timepieces soon came to the attention of the media, and customers from all over the world began to show an interest in the unique, hand-skeletonized masterpieces from the Burgdorf watchmaker. The Armin Strom collection had grown to 20 models by the mid-1980s, and during this period the master himself was always pleased to adapt or decorate his movements according to the wishes of individual customers.
Finally, building on the successes of his men’s watches, Armin Strom also ventured into the production of his first wristwatch for women. His goal of designing this to be as small and delicate as possible immediately gained him an entry in The Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest watch ever to be skeletonized by hand.
His excellent reputation and recognition at an international level brought Armin Strom major contracts in the 1990s from some prestigious watch companies, for which he would skeletonize a number of series by hand. In the meantime, his own brand was expanding continuously as the result of increasing demand from all over the world. The company was incorporated as Armin Strom AG in 2006, and in 2009 it moved into its new, large production facility in the watchmaking town of Biel. In 2009, the first in-house Manufacture-Calibre, the ARM09 was proudly presented.
Since end of September 2011 the successful entrepreneur and founding father of Armin Strom AG is taking a well-deserved retirement. The legendary master watchmaker celebrated his 73rd birthday this year. It is time for Armin Strom, the man, to pull back from the hectic daily business routine, spend some quality time with his family and enjoy his other passions away from the manufacture. Armin Strom AG would like to thank its founder and is proud to be able to continue to build on his name and visionary values. At the same time, it will be happy in future to welcome him as the spirit of the Armin Strom Brand at promotions and events.
The first in-house calibre ARM09 was followed by other manual winding calibres and the most recent, the Tourbillon calibre ATC11 was celebrated with a strictly limited set of 4 exceptional timepieces – The “Coffret” Tourbillon. Armin Strom AG today has a workforce of 19 and looks back with pride over nearly half a century of watchmaking tradition.
Skeletonizing is the most challenging and the most intricate form of
watch embellishment, and at Armin Strom – thanks to the more than forty
years’ experience of the company’s founder – also the most traditional
one. To begin with, all the material that is not essential for the
mechanical stability of the movement is removed from the plates and
bridges by sawing and filing. The architecture of the movement and the
engagement of the wheel train are exposed in this way, and the watch
becomes a work of art to be appreciated in three dimensions. Armin Strom
spends around one week on each watch. The working instruments of the
skeletonizer are the fretsaws and countless files, which he himself
sharpens for use in his work. And because skeletonizing involves
handwork, all the watches differ from on another in numerous details.
Video: Armin Strom - A History of Passion
This true masterpiece One Week Skeleton Water Only Watch 2013 has been most carefully skeletonised, engraved and decorated by hand, a unique piece unveiling the art of fine watchmaking.
Catalogue Description:
Armin Strom One Week Skeleton
Water for Only Watch
Fine and unique, 18K white gold skeletonized
wristwatch with 7-day power reserve and off
center time indication
C. 18K white gold, Sapphire crystal and
case back with anti-reflective treatment. D. Skeletonized white dial ring with affixed
appliques. M. Movement Armin Strom caliber ARM09,
mechanical manual-winding with 7-day
power-reserve and off-center time indication,
number of individual components hour,
minute, small seconds, power-reserve
indicator, Skeletonized main plate,
exchange wheel bridge, barrel-bridge.
Number of individual components 146.
Today we bring you the La Monegasque Only Watch edition from Roger Dubuis.
ROGER DUBUIS
In 1980, after 14 years of developing complications for Patek Philippe, master watchmaker Roger Dubuis founded his own atelier. For several years he was commissioned by major brands to design new complications. Carlos Dias, a brilliant designer for Franck Muller, joined Dubuis and in 1995 the Roger Dubuis brand was launched.
Finding a fine balance between traditional watchmaking expertise and avant-garde design, its timepieces immediately made an impression in the world of Swiss watchmaking. It is a
resolutely extravagant, rebellious and elegant brand, striving for excellence and technical sophistication yet its innovation is born from a heartfelt respect
for tradition and craftsmanship.
The brand's enormous creativity is reflected in the worlds of four
distinct characters: the elegant player of the "La Monégasque"
collection, the powerful warrior of the "Excalibur" collection, the
modern venturer of the "Pulsion" collection and the sophisticated diva
of the "Velvet" collection.
The
fact that Manufacture Roger Dubuis has chosen to produce all its
movement components embodies a wish to support its creativity and to
ensure complete control of quality.
This means that every single
component – bearing in mind that some mechanical movements comprise over
600 parts! – is tested at all stages in production, in terms of both
its dimensions and its aesthetic appearance.
The functional
tolerance of these industrially produced and individually hand-finished
components is generally expressed in microns. Once assembled by the
watchmakers who are the driving force behind the Manufacture, each Roger
Dubuis mechanical movement undergoes a full week of controls dealing
both with precision and with the perfect adjustment of each function,
followed by two weeks of rigorous tests conducted by an independent
body.
Upon its return to the Manufacture, the certified
movement is cased up before facing two more weeks of in-house tests.
Only at the end of this complex process does each watch undergo a last
week-long series of tests laid down by the Hallmark of Geneva in order
to be individually certified.
From component production through
to obtaining the Hallmark of Geneva, it takes about seven months for a
Roger Dubuis watch to be created, one step after another, one
requirement after another. Such is the price of perfection.
Roger Dubuis, La Monégasque Collection
In 2008, the Richemont Group acquired a 60% interest in Roger Dubuis SA.
Regardless, the brand will continue as always and continue to
manufacture and distribute watches under the Roger Dubuis name.
This timepiece admirably reflects the Roger Dubuis know-how, movement mastery and quest for excellence. It perfectly showcases three important features of our Maison: the flying tourbillon, the visible micro-rotor and the prestigious Poincon de Geneve quality hallmark. We created this unique piece specially for Only Watch, integrating for the first time our exclusive automatic flying tourbillon movement within La Monegasque collection.
Catalogue Description:
Roger Dubuis,
La Monegasque for Only Watch
Fine and unique pink gold self-winding
tourbillon wristwatch with micro-rotor.
Accompanied by a fitted box and Certificate.
C. Pink gold, polished and brushed, sapphire crystal. D. Charcoal-grey satin sunburst centre, Powder Roger Dubuis
logo, Charcoal-grey satin sunburst intermediate section, Black
transferred index with powder edging, Charcoal circular satin
exterior . Pink gold applied Arabic numerals with powder edging,
Flying tourbillon ring at half past 7 and micro-rotor at half past 10,
Charcoal grey flange with powder transfers. M. Self-winding movement, RD520, rhodium plated,
30 jewels, 227 parts, adjusted in 6 positions, circular-grained plate,
cote de Genève decoration, tourbillon carriage in the shape of a
Celtic cross, stamped with the poinçon de Genève.
Today we present Richard Mille's Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake.
RICHARD MILLE
Richard Mille is a French businessman and in 2001 founded the watchmaking company that bears his name.
The brand has gained widespread recognition for its unique designs and unrestrained drive for perfection and the highest possible quality. Richard Mille sponsors sport and film celebrities such as Brazillian Formula One driver, Felipe Massa, Spanish tennis player, Rafael Nadal, Jamaican Sprinter, Yohan Blake and Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian-born Hong Kong action film superstar. The brand collaborated with Massa, Blake and Yeoh in developing special edition watches. Blake apparently broke Olympic sponsor contracts by wearing a customised Tourbillon in Jamaica's national colours (the actual watch featured in this years Only Watch auction), where he should have been wearing nothing or Olympic sponsor Omega SA.
The following video showcases three Richard Mille models, the Panda Tourbillon, the Aviation and the Skull Nano-Ceramic. Unique
design, high-tech materials, and ultra-innovative architechture, every
detail makes a Richard Mille watch an exclusive timepiece full of
character and a look that is instantly recognizable.
These Richard Mille timepieces have been
created through the application of new materials, methods and concepts
in watchmaking the majority of which have never been used before.
The
concept was based on three pillars: the best of the technique and
innovation; an important artistic and architectural dimension, a watch
easy to use, robust; and at last the best of the watch culture, each
piece being polished and finished by hand.
Within this short
period the brand has skyrocketed to the forefront, gaining the attention
of watch collectors and media alike, being defined as one of the most
ultimate and exclusive wristwatches available in the market today, as
well as representing a watershed break with traditional watchmaking.
With
its core of operations located in Les Breuleux, Switzerland, a village
long associated with the Swiss watchmaking tradition, Richard Mille
Watches produces his timepieces, with his partner Dominique Guenat.
The
heart of the company is located in the extraordinary setting of Chateau
de Monbouan, France, and it is from here that Richard Mille creates the
designs and concepts of every possible detail of the watches bearing
his name, and also develops his brand.
Richard Mille showcased some amazing timepieces at this years SIHH trade fair in Geneva, Switzerland. The fair attracts a gathering of the most prestigious names in the world of fine watches. Please note that this video is in 3D and glasses are required.
Maria Doulton of the Jewellery Editor managed to sit down with reigning 100m World
Champion Yohan Blake to talk about his collaboration with Richard Mille.
The result is the luminous RM 59-01 Tourbillon, and Richard Mille CEO
Peter Harrison was also there to tell us all about it.
Catalogue Description:
RICHARD MILLE "TOURBI LLON
PROTOTYPE YOHAN BLAKE"
FOR ONLY WAT CH
This is the very watch worn by Yohan
Blake at the 2012 London Olympic
Games where he won three medals
and also at the Diamond League in
Lausanne where he won the 100m and
became the second fastest sprinter of all
time over distance, beating his
personal best.
Fine and unique piece, very light,
tonneau shaped and curved, case
in magnesium WE 54, one-minute
tourbillon at 6 O'clock. Complete with
presentation box and Certificate.
C. Made of magnesium WE 54 alloy
with Miarox® treatment. The case is
assembled with 12 spline screws in
grade 5 titanium. D. FLANGE Green flange and crown,
crystal in sapphire with anti-glare
treatment. M. MOVEMENT Manual winding extra
skeletonised tourbillon with curved
baseplate and bridges.
MAIN FEATURES Baseplate, bridges
and balance clock made of grade
5 titanium, free sprung balance with
variable inertia, fast rotating barrel,
barrel pawl with progressive recoil,
winding barrel teeth and third-wheel
pinion with central involute profile.
OTHER FEATURES Balance in
Glucydur, 2 arms, 4 setting screws,
inertia moment 11.50 mg.cm2, angle
of lift 53°, frequency: 21,600 vph
(3Hz), 19 jewels.
Today we present the Altiplano Automatic Skeleton from Piaget.
PIAGET
Piaget was founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget, in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland. Originally the company produced pocket watches and high-precision clock movements for prestigious brands.
In 1943, under the management of Georges grandsons, Gérald and Valentin Piaget, the Piaget brand became a registered
trademark and changed its focus to producing its own designs and creations and in 1945, relocated to larger premises.
The brand has received much acclaim for the ultra-thin movements, the first of which was developed in 1957. The hand-wound Calibre 9P movement measured just 2mm and three years later the Calibre12P was recognised as the thinnest automatic movement in the world with a thickness of 2.3mm.
The manufacture owns the largest jewellery workshop in Geneva. The diamonds and other precious stones used are of the highest standards of colour and clarity. Each stone is cut, adjusted and set by hand. Piaget are members of the “Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices”
and the “Kimberley Process Certification Scheme”, which guarantees that
diamonds do not originate from an area of conflict.
Piaget continue the tradition of miniature painting thanks to a
traditional technique. The enameller begins by crushing and cleaning raw
enamels to obtain a very fine powder, which is then mixed with
essential oils to achieve the colour palette. The enamel is applied with
a brush in successive fine layers, each of which is oven-fired at
temperatures exceeding 800 °C. Each enamelled piece requires nearly
twenty firings in the oven. The enamel and its colours are then set
forever.
Throughout its history, Piaget has released several collections. The Emperador, Polo and Dancer collections are perhaps the most iconic in the brands inventory. Since the release of the Altiplano model in 1999 is has also joined the illustrious ranks. Other, also popular, collections include Possession,
Tanagra, Limelight and Miss Protocole.
Today, Piaget forms
part of the Richemont group, one of the largest luxury goods companies in the world which also owns;
Alfred Dunhill Limited.
Baume & Mercier SA
Cartier
Chloé International
IWC International Watch Co. AG
Lancel Sogedi
Lange Uhren GmbH
Jaeger-LeCoultre SA Montblanc
Officine Panerai
Piaget SA
Vacheron Constantin SA
Van Cleef & Arpels SA
To mark the 50th anniversary of its legendary Calibre 12P, Piaget rose
to a new technical challenge by setting a double record for both the
thinnest self-winding movement and the thinnest self-winding watch in
the
world, respectively measuring a mere 2.35 mm and 5.25 mm.
For this fifth edition of Only Watch, Piaget has created a unique timepiece based on its emblematic Altiplano Skeleton: the Piaget Altiplano 38mm Only Watch Skeleton 1200S. To further enhance its unique features; the case is also engraved with "Only Watch 2013- Piece Unique".
Catalogue Description:
PIAGET ALTIPLANO
FOR ONLY WATCH
Piaget Altiplano Skeleton.
Fine and unique, ultra-thin, black
PVD-treated, self-winding 18K
white gold wristwatch with black
PVD-treated ultra thin skeleton
manufacture movement. Accompanied
with box and Certificate.
Dial, case and movement signed.
C. Black PVD-treated 18K gold,
sapphire caseback, caseback engraved
with "Only Watch 2013-Unique Piece." D. Black dauphine hands. M. 1200S, 26 jewels, Piaget
Manufacture self-winding, ultra-thin
skeleton, sunburst satin-brushed plate
and bridges, hand beveled, hand drawn
bridges and plate, circular and sunburst
satin-brushed wheels, polished blind
tapped screws, polished heads, beveled
slots “P” fixed to the regulator assembly
as Piaget signature, Engraved
coat-of-arms on the black platinum
oscillating weight, Black screws
on plate and bridges.
Today's post brings you the Only Watch 2013 Special Ref #5004T from Patek Philippe.
PATEK PHILIPPE
Geneva, 1839, Polish migrants Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek began making pocket watches. The team lasted until 1845 when Czapek went his own way. A year earlier, Patek was in Paris where he met Jean-Adrien Philppe who presented his pioneering keyless winding mechanism. In 1851, Philippe officially became associated with Patek & Co and the company was renamed Patek Philippe.
That year, the company began supplying watches to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Other clients included Christian IX and Princess Louise of Denmark, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Sultan Hussein Kamel of Egypt among others. From its founding, Patek Philippe designed and manufactured a range of timepieces and movements that included some of
the most complicated mechanical watches. It is widely considered the
world's most prestigious watch brand by many experts and aficionados.
The company found great success in it's early years and in 1932, was purchased by two brothers, Charles and Jean Stern, co-owners of a dial manufacture in Geneva. Patek Philippe is now under the helm of president Theirry Stern who took over from his father, Philippe Stern who remains as honorary president. Now into the 4th generation, Patek Philippe S.A. remains a family owned company.
Patek Philippe: Birth of a Legend video:
Patek Philippe is notable to manufacturing their own watch components. Many companies will outsource various parts such as springs, cases, dials and the like. Like other manufactures they focus mostly on producing mechanical movements, automatic and manual. In the past the company has built quartz watches and, in 1958, a prototype digital wrist watch, the Ref. 3414.
When it comes to complications (functions), Patek Philippe has held the record for putting the highest number of complications in a single watch. To celebrate the company's 150th anniversary in 1989 they created the commemorative pocket watch, the Calibre 89. Four versions were made, one each in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum. Slightly larger than a standard pocket watch, and weighing 1.1kg, it has 24 hands and is comprised of 1728 components. The Calibre 89 boasts 39 complications including the date of Easter, time
of sunrise, equation of time, sidereal time, and many other indicators. It is also able to add a day to February for leap
years while leaving out the extra day for every 100 year interval.
Short list of Complications (Features)
Day of the month
12-hour recorder
Day of the week
Hour of second time-zone
Moon phase display
Winding crown position indicator
Century decade and year displays
Leap Year Indicator
Power reserve
Month
Thermometer
Date of Easter
Time of sunrise
Equation of time
Star chart displaying 2800 stars in relation to the Earth.
Sun hand
Time of sunset
Split second hand
The videos below demonstrate several of the complications in this amazing timepiece.
Patek Philippe watches are highly regarded and often realise high prices at auction, usually appreciating in value over time. A pocket-watch with 24 complications that was produced for Henrry Graves Jr in 1933, and known as "The Supercomplication") was auctioned by Sotheby's in December of 1999 for a final price of US$11,000,000.
It was a Patek Philippe watch that reached $1.4 million at the last Only Watch auction in 2011. The highest price for any piece that year.
One of the great classics of the Patek Philippe Grand Complications collection between 1995 and 2011, Reference 5004 embodied the traditional, manually wound chronograph at its highest level. Its Calibre CHR 27-70Q is based on a "Nouvelle Lemania" movement, produced exclusively for Patek Philippe and completely reworked in the company's workshops, added with a sophisticated split-seconds mechanism and a very fine perpetual calendar. The movement comprises 407 parts, meticulously finished by hand according to the workshops' time-honoured methods.
This Only Watch 2013 special reference 5004T is the first and only version ever produced in titanium.
Catalogue Description:
PATEK PHILIPE REF. 5004 titanium
Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 5004T.
Fine and unique split-seconds chronograph
wristwatch with 30-minute counter, perpetual
calendar, moon phases, leap year and 24-hour
indications. Accompanied by a fitted wooden box,
Certificate of Origin, setting pin, hangtag and
leather folio.
C. Three-body, solid, polished, sapphire crystal
scew-down caseback, case band with 4 correctors,
push button in the crown for the split-seconds
function and 2 push-buttons to start (at 2) and
stop (at 4) the chronograph. Concave bezel, fluted
lugs, sapphire crystals. Case and prong buckle in
titanium. Water-resistant. D. Solid gold dial plate. Black with
hand-guilloché carbon pattern and gold applied
Arabic numerals. Subsidiary dials: 30-minute
counter and leap year at 3, days of the month at
6, seconds and 24 hours indication at 9, apertures
for the days of the week, the months and the
moon phases, outer 1/5th seconds track. White
gold leaf-shaped hands. M. Cal. CHR 27-70 PS Q, stamped
with the Geneva Seal quality hallmark,
rhodium-plated, Geneva striping decoration,
28 jewels, straight-line lever escapement,
Gyromax® balance, shock absorber,
self-compensating Breguet balance spring.
Today we present Montblanc's Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco
MONTBLANC
Montblanc began in Hamburg as the Simplo Filler Pen Comanpany in 1906, following it founding by Claus-Johannes Voss, Alfred Nehemias
and August Eberstein. Producing up-market pens, the first model, the Rouge et Noir, was released in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new
name, Montblanc.
The "White Star" trademark logo first appeared in 1913. It is a white, stylised six-pointed
star with rounded edges that represents the snowcap of the Mont Blanc from
above. The number "4810" is also frequently seen in model numbers and other uses, and refers to the height of Mont Blanc in metres.
The company makes several models of pens with the top of the line Meisterstück, first appearing in 1924, being something of a flagship. The Montblanc Writers Editions commemorate the life and work of a particular writer and new models in this series are released each year. These pens usually bare an engraving of the writers signature on the cap and a symbol of their most important work engraved onto the nibs. The company also produce limited edition pieces with releases of 888 or 4810 being common numbers. Limited edition pens are often adorned with gemstones such as rubies and diamonds and 18ct gold. For some issues, the White Star has been fashioned out of mother-of-pearl.
The Montblanc brand is on other goods besides
pens, including watches, jewellery, fragrances, leather goods and
eyewear.
The company was acquired by Dunhill in 1977, following
which lower price pens were dropped and the brand was used on a wide
range of luxury goods other than pens.
Today, Montblanc forms
part of the Richemont group, one of the largest luxury goods companies in the world which also owns;
Alfred Dunhill Limited.
Baume & Mercier SA
Cartier
Chloé International
IWC International Watch Co. AG
Lancel Sogedi
Lange Uhren GmbH
Jaeger-LeCoultre SA
Officine Panerai
Piaget SA
Vacheron Constantin SA
Van Cleef & Arpels SA
NTBLANC: The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen
Solid 18K rose gold lattice of interlocking 8s over translucent
precious resin. Eight rings circle the cap and cone, and the clip is
decorated with a diamond-studded 8. Medium 18K red gold nib engraved
with yin-yang symbol. Outer box, inner box, display box, papers. Limited
Edition: 59/88.
Price realised: US$23,750
MONTBLANC- The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen
- See more at: http://www.pawnbank.com.au/fine-writing-instruments-auction-at-bonhams/#sthash.ggDv1bck.dpuf
ONTBLANC:
The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen - See more
at:
http://www.pawnbank.com.au/fine-writing-instruments-auction-at-bonhams/#sthash.ggDv1bck.dpuf
MONTBLANC: The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen
Solid 18K rose gold lattice of interlocking 8s over translucent
precious resin. Eight rings circle the cap and cone, and the clip is
decorated with a diamond-studded 8. Medium 18K red gold nib engraved
with yin-yang symbol. Outer box, inner box, display box, papers. Limited
Edition: 59/88.
Price realised: US$23,750
MONTBLANC- The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen
- See more at: http://www.pawnbank.com.au/fine-writing-instruments-auction-at-bonhams/#sthash.ggDv1bck.dpuf
MONTBLANC: The Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen
Solid 18K rose gold lattice of interlocking 8s over translucent
precious resin. Eight rings circle the cap and cone, and the clip is
decorated with a diamond-studded 8. Medium 18K red gold nib engraved
with yin-yang symbol. Outer box, inner box, display box, papers. Limited
Edition: 59/88.
Price realised: US$23,750
- See more at: http://www.pawnbank.com.au/fine-writing-instruments-auction-at-bonhams/#sthash.ggDv1bck.dpuf
Montblanc Fortune Number 88 Limited Edition Skeleton Fountain Pen, US$23,750 at Bonham's Auction, December 2012
The video below features the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours, upon which, this years donation to Only Watch is based. It features a fascinating hour display.
The Rising Hours watches from Montblanc are dedicated to Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec(July 20, 1781 – June 18, 1866), French watchmaker and inventor of the chronograph, a major leap forward in timekeeping.
Early in his career, Rieussec had endeavoured to make a name for himself and the young watchmaker began to gain recognition when
he was named a Watchmaker to King Louis XVIII in a royal warrant dated January
31, 1817:
“On this thirty-first day of January, eighteen hundred and seventeen,
the King at Paris, having been made fully aware of the good life and
moral conduct of Sieur Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec, and of the
distinguished reputation he has acquired in his profession of
Watchmaker, desires to confer upon him a mark of his favour and of the
protection with which he honours him; for this purpose, His Majesty has
granted and does grant him the title of his Watchmaker so that said
Sieur Rieussec can enjoy all the honours, prerogatives and other
benefits thereunto appertaining; His Majesty desires and intends that he
may use said Title at all gatherings and on all public documents...”
In France during the early 1800's, horse-racing had gathered a great momentum as a popular sport and social gathering. Rieussec saw the need for a method of timing the horses. It was one thing to see who won, it was another thing entirely to be able to tell by exactly how much. On the 1st September 1821, he attended the Arrondissement de la Seine race at the Champs-de-Mars with the intention of testing his new device, managing to record the time of the winner and those who followed.
Just over a month later, on 15 October, 1821, the French Academy of Sciences made a report on Rieussec's invention. The chronograph had been examined by two members of the academy, mathematician and engineer, Gaspard de Prony and, the one-and-only Alexandre-Louis Breguet, founder of the influential company, Breguet, and no stranger to owning patents.
Featured in the Academy's minutes of the meeting is a report which provides what is among the most comprehensive descriptions of the chronograph and its operation:
The volume and shape of this instrument are about those of a large
pocket chronometer. The dial is movable and turns about an axis that is
perpendicular to its plane and passes through its centre. When the
Chronograph is operating, this dial makes one revolution per minute, and
since its circumference is divided into 60 parts, the angular motion of
one division corresponds to one second. A small window next to the
hanging ring reveals a number, which is replaced by another number with
each revolution of the dial and indicates the minutes; the Chronograph
can run about three-quarters of an hour without stopping. To use this
instrument, when it is mounted and in a resting state, one first sets
the divisions marking the time to the starting points by turning a
knurled knob with one’s hand. Through the intermediary of a gear train,
the knob causes the minute and second dials to move. Having done this,
when the moment to start timing arrives, one presses a small button next
to the knob to set the machine in motion. The observer can give full
attention to the phenomena whose successive time intervals he wishes to
measure, and as soon as one of the divisions of these intervals is
reached, he presses a second button next to the one we have just
mentioned. At the moment when it is pressed a small pen, or metal point,
passing through the open tip of a cone filled with black oil ink and
placed opposite the moving dial’s fixed zero point, marks a point on the
circumference that is divided into seconds. This point then indicates
the second and fraction of a second corresponding to the beginning or
end of the period of time being measured. Operation of the pen trigger
mechanism neither stops nor slows the moving dial’s motion, so the
button can be pressed several times while this motion lasts, making a
number of black points on the scale divided into 60 parts; each point
indicates, by its position, the moment when it was marked. To stop the
chronograph quickly, one need only press the button that started it. The
mechanism is arranged such that pressing this button abruptly changes
the current state of the machine, making it pass from a resting state to
movement or from movement to its resting state. We did not examine the
inside of the instrument, and we do not think that it offers anything
particularly remarkable, given the current state of watchmaking. Its
principal merit lies in its ability to instantly indicate the first and
last moments of several successive time intervals by means of permanent,
visible signs on a moving dial, without requiring the attention of the
observer’s eyes or ears. A chronograph with such a property
unquestionably offers precious resources to physicians, engineers and,
in general, anyone who measures phenomena. A highly satisfactory trial
was recently made at public horse races; but its use can obviously
extend to an infinite variety of other kinds of observations, the
testing of moving machines, gauging of running water, and almost all
hydraulic operations. The passage of a star over the cross-hairs of a
telescope, when the astronomer has only one free hand, will be very
precisely indicated by this new means, which will either serve to verify
the count of the seconds on a clock, or will replace such a count if
the distant location of the clock or poor hearing keeps the escapement
from being heard. We think that Mr. Rieussec’s Chronograph deserves
the Academy’s approval.
Montblanc has designed and developed a unique watch in its Manufacture in Locle, the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco. Alliance of red gold and steel with Dual Carbon treatment, it displays the hours on a turning disc that has been augmented with the appealing complication of a day/night indication in the hour display.
Catalogue Description:
Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec
Rising Hours for Monaco
A fine and unique self-winding monopusher
chronograph with hours on a turning disc and
day/night indication in the hour display. Red gold
and steel with Dual Carbon treatment case.
Accompanied by a special box and certificate.
C. Stainless steel
with dual carbon treatment
Crown, pushers and screws of
the case back in 18K red gold (5N)
Domed sapphire crystal with double
anti-reflective coating
Screwed case back with transparent
sapphire crystal M. Montblanc Manufacture
Calibre MB R220. Mechanical movement with
automatic winding mechanism and twin barrels
(343 components and 42 jewels)
Chronograph Monopusher with
column-wheel control and vertical disc clutch
power reserve 72 hours
Balance Screw balance Ø 9,70 mm ;
Moment of inertia: 12 mgcm²
Frequency 28'800 bph (4 Hz)
Hairspring Flat
Plate Rhodium plated and circular grained
Bridges Rhodium-plated, Geneva stripes
Gear train Special toothing for more
efficient power transmission
Indications Hours and minutes on off-center
dial/Digital hour display with integrated day/
Night indication/Day by disc /Date by disc
Chronograph Chronograph tallies 60 elapsed
seconds and 30 elapsed minutes on rotating
discs with motionless hands
