Ian Ellery is a guest contributor on The Watch Lounge. When he’s not writing about watches he presents his technology radio show in Geneva, collects vintage watches and attends auctions.
Brand Ambassadors are a key part of many watchmakers’ marketing strategies and with good reason. The correct person can dramatically shape the perception of a brand and in doing so make a significant contribution to sales, and so it comes as no surprise that some have developed long-standing, mutually beneficial associations with their brands.
You’ve seen the press release, the pictures and Tom’s detailed description of the watch, but what is it really like? Well, first off it is smaller than you might expect given the stature of previous models, but the real surprise? The weight. There just isn’t any.
The back is silky smooth, the leather strap supple, the deployment clasp has a satisfying click which you know means it’s never going to come loose. When you put it on – yes, they did let me try it on – it seems to disappear. It is quite simply one of the nicest fitting watches I have ever worn.
But it is the little things that really impress, things that don’t show up in the photos. Despite what anyone tries to tell you there are no wires inside the hour and minute tubes moving the balls up and down, this really is the first mechanical watch where the time indicators are unconnected to the movement.
Then there is the subtle button at the top of the watch that manages all of the functions; once you see it it’s obvious, but it is just so well done that it blends harmoniously into the rest of the case.
Of course what people are really interested in is the time mechanism. I suspect that for a complete answer a degree in Physics might be in order, but there are some excellent reasons why magnets are not normally used in watches. The challenge here is to focus that magnetism to a narrow space where it’s influence can be minimalized. The use of exotic materials throughout the watch helps as well.
In fact the amount of magnetic force used is quite small, so small that a good jolt will send the indicators to the bottom of the tube. Of course while the balls themselves may have moved the magnets have not, all that is needed is to simply give the watch a little shake and they return to their previous position. Simple really.
The Final Word
The sheer time, effort and expense of making this watch means that it will, by necessity, be limited to only 10 pieces of each case type. Even with prices around 260,000CHF it seems certain that the range will be sold out pretty quickly thus enabling Christophe Claret to amaze us all over again next year.
The Piccadilly range has been a mainstream stay of the Speake-Marin brand since the company was founded in 2000. The original Piccadilly used a heavily modified ETA movement, replacing a range of parts to improve performance, longevity and look. This combined with the rear mounted rotor meant that they were quite thick, but managed to retain a balanced aesthetic.
Subsequent new models utilising Peter’s own in-house calibres are marvels of the watchmaker’s art in which every part has both function and form this has the effect of reducing the case profile and overall weight whilst still retaining the distinctive Speake-Marin style.
The Spirit Pioneer launched last year at Salon QP was an unqualified success selling out the whole edition of 68 pieces in just a few days. It has always been Peter’s desire to make watches which have all the core values of his more exclusive models available to a wider audience.
The Serpent Calendar
For 2012 there will be a new Piccadilly model, although really it takes its design cues from an old favorite, the iconic Serpent Calendar. The main internal change is a move away from the increasingly difficult to source ETA movement to one created by TechnoTime using Peter’s design specifications called the “Eros 1″. An unusual name for a movement perhaps, but Speake-Marin explains: “I am English, the case name is Piccadilly after my formative years working in Piccadilly, London, and Eros is the famous landmark statue in Piccadilly Circus.”
The visual appeal of the movement has been greatly increased; the signature winding rotor is larger, blued, and displayed through a much larger sapphire crystal window, with an accent cut away in the top right to show the balance wheel. The case is much slimmer now too at just 12mm and the watch’s lugs really make it fit very snugly to the wrist. Also available for the first time with a Speake-Marin is a branded deployment clasp, and very comfortable it is too, as witnessed by this wrist shot.
©The Watch Lounge 2012
Classic Style, Modern Convenience
For those familiar with previous Speake-Marin models you will already be well aware of the “Serpent Calendar” style, but for this version several changes have been made. Previously the calendar, indicated by a snaking hand, was set on the outer edge of the dial, now however it is situated on an inner ring following the line of a pressed area in the centre of the dial. This really improves readability of the date; something I always thought was a slight issue in the original. The exaggerated curves of the date hand also ensure that it is never completely covered by either the hour or minute hands.
The change in movement also means that all adjustments can be made via the crown rather than needing a separate button on the case edge, making the process a lot more straight forward.
As with previous Piccadilly models the new Serpent Calendar will be available in both 38mm and 42mm versions. There will be no platinum or titanium versions at first but rather sensible steel and red gold, though of course if you would like a custom version you only need to ask.
Reasonably Priced
Available immediately pricing is very reasonable at 12,800CHF (US$14,000) for the 38mm in steel and 13,350CHF (US$14,700) for 42mm in steel. Prices rise to 19,800CHF (US$21,800) for 38mm in red gold and 23,900CHF (US$26,324.49) for the 42mm in red gold which represents excellent value for money as, after all, it is a Speake-Marin.
If you would like to get your hands on one of the classic Piccadilly models it is still possible via special order. These come with the beautiful enamel dial, but due to the expense of manufacture this will add on about 1,000CHF to the price and it is only available as “time only”.
The Final Word
Speake-Marin goes from strength to strength with the release of the new Serpent Calendar, providing high quality timepieces at sensible prices, making it is possible for anyone to save up and own something that will give you a lifetime of faithful service and do so with a touch of real style.
For more information please visit the official Speake-Marin website: www.speake-marin.com
As always Ian Ellery is The Watch Lounge’s ‘man on the ground’ at the Baselworld Watch Fair and will be sharing his thoughts on some of this year’s hottest new releases over the coming days.
As I have said before the life of a freelance journalist is rarely a stroll in the park. I’m not sure who those guys are that get invited to endless reception parties, but they don’t appear to be me.
Press day can be a real struggle but it does throw up some very interesting sights; witness the Swatch Group team of 20 people cleaning the dust of the light shades in their booth by hand. The slogan for Welder, “Since 2075″ let’s see how they feel about it in 63 years time!!
Many of the Independent brands we have all come to love are housed in a rigid tent structure called “The Palace”. Although lighter and brighter than the main halls, the talk this year mainly centered on the potential repercussions of next year’s developments.
By then the new hall will be completed and there will be “no need” for The Palace, which means it may not be feasible for the smaller brands to still exhibit. Whilst progress can certainly be a good thing, I think it’s fair to say that if costs increase prohibitively and some of the more dynamic independent brands are forced out then the atmosphere will not be nearly as good and this certainly would not be a step in the right direction.
Speaking of the new hall, I have seen the plans previously but they don’t prepare you for the reality of the “thing”. I think you can tell that the next sentence is not going to be complimentary. The donut shape may let in some light and be an interesting piece of “architecture” but it has taken a beautiful, sunlight plaza in front of Hall 1 and turned it into a dark space no better than a car park. I can’t help but feel a better job could have been done with a little more thought.
Back to the Show though. The general feeling this year echoes that of SIHH; last year was better than expected and there is a cautious optimism that this year could be just as good. If so, most of the Brands would be happy with that.
Certainly from my side it was extremely difficult to get appointments, lots of Press and lots of Retailers looking for product; everyone is going to have a busy 10 days.
The Final Word
If you are in the area the show is highly recommended. If you are coming from a long way away get your friendly retailer to make you an appointment with your favorite maker and get them to give you a personal view of their collection. No one knows their timepieces like they do, believe me and you will be truly grateful for the experience.
But, as always, remember to wear comfortable shoes.
Jaeger-LeCoultre have been garnering a considerable amount of interest in their Duometre à Spherotourbillon recently and watching the official video about how it all works it’s not hard to see why. The question is though, what’s it really like?
The Duometre à Spherotourbillon
With the creation of the Duometre à Spherotourbillon, JLC claims to have the first tourbillon that can be set accurately. Now, before we can confirm this we must understand the difference between this watch and the “stop” tourbillon from Lange & Sohne. On the Lange the seconds hand is mounted on the tourbillion and to set the seconds it is possible to stop the tourbillon and then restart it in conjunction with a time signal. JLC’s offering however, allows you to reset the separate seconds hand back to the zero position without stopping the tourbillon; an intriguing development.
One of the primary aims of creating this watch was to produce a compact watch that has the maximum number of complications and still retains a high level of readability. The tourbillon revolves in two axes and is inclined by 20 degrees from the vertical. In the circular axis it revolves once every 30 seconds, at the same time it also processes one complete cycle every 15 seconds, the higher speeds are to improve overall accuracy.
The calibre 382 has a cylindrical balance spring and a larger than usual balance wheel vibrating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The 18K pink gold case is 42mm by 14.1mm with a polished and satin-brushed finish.
The Duometre a Quartieme Lunaire 40.5
Also unveiled by the brand this year was the superb Duometre a Quartieme Lunaire, which like the Spherotourbillon features JLC’s patented Dual-Wing concept; this separates the power delivery of the time keeping elements from that used for the complications and so increases the accuracy of the watch.
Taking full advantage of this technological advancement, the Quartieme Lunaire 40.5 boasts an impressive list of complications including; hours, minutes, seconds, calendar and moon phases for both hemispheres and the startling jumping seconds moving in one sixth of a second increments.
All of this, care of the Calibre 381 movement, is packed into an 18K pink gold case 40.5 mm by 13.07mm – a truly amazing feat of watch-making.
The Final Word
The Spherotourbillon design seems to provide an interesting development in tourbillon technology which will undoubtedly be extremely popular and provide the basis for future models. This, combined with the improvements in the Master Control series will likely make for a successful 2012 for Jager-LeCoultre.
For more information please visit the official website: www.jaeger-lecoultre.com.
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