Holition, the leader in 3D augmented luxury retail brand experience, today announced that it is working with luxury watch brand Tissot on a pioneering augmented reality marketing campaign for its Touch collection. The new campaign includes a ground breaking two week interactive touch screen window display at Selfridges department store on London’s extremely busy Oxford Street, where from today consumers will be able to virtually `try on` a 3D watch and interact with the innovative features of the entire Tissot Touch range without even entering the store.

Designed to allow Tissot to engage with a new digitally aware consumer audience, Holition’s augmented reality application is a unique touch screen active experience, allowing potential customers to `try on` and interact with a number of different watch styles, colours and sizes, as if they were really wearing a Touch collection watch. The ‘virtual watch’ is brought to life with a unique real time light reflecting technology that enables the consumer to experience the different facets of its design at the twist of their wrist.

If you want to see how it works check out the video below:

The Selfridges display will enable consumers to `try on’ watches from the Tissot Touch collection outside the store in Oxford Street through a fully interactive touch screen, simply by using a paper wristband which, when shown to the camera on the Holition system, enables them to view the image of themselves on a computer LCD screen in the window `wearing’ their chosen watch. Wristbands are being handed out for free outside Selfridges between 9am and 9pm for two weeks from Thursday May 13th or can be downloaded and printed at www.tissot.ch/reality. Consumers are also eligible to enter in-store for the chance to win a Tissot watch every day throughout the two week campaign.

So if you happen to be in the area be sure to check it out and get a glimpse of what the future holds!

Luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot has been appointed the Official Watchmaker of Formula 1™ and as part of this multi-year agreement will produce a range of high tech, limited edition, luxury Formula 1™ watches and exploit the additional designation Hublot – The Official Watch of Formula 1™ on an exclusive and global basis.

Hublot is delighted to have elevated itself to an unassailable position in Formula One motor racing by securing an agreement with the iconic brand itself. Formula 1™ epitomizes cutting-edge technology, high performance, precision and international sporting glamor and this globally revered brand will now inspire a new generation of fabulous Hublot timepieces.

Hublot is to initially mark its presence with the creation of a special watch in the form of the F1™ King, a restricted production run of a King Power model incorporating the famous F1™ logo, as well as a further Limited Edition Series in the colors and style of the most prestigious Grands Prix. A Hublot boutique will present its collections in the Formula One Paddock Club™ at several events and the company will run a guest hospitality programme throughout the F1™ season. The series of watches dedicated to Formula 1™ will be directly inspired by the world of F1™, combining the finest know-how and manufacturing processes at the cutting edge of research and high tech materials.

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot SA is full of enthusiasm: “I have always had great admiration for the exceptional and unique achievements of Bernie Ecclestone. Without him there would be no Formula 1: he created this global phenomenon’. I have also had a great deal of admiration for the drivers who are able to control these ultra-sophisticated racing machines down to the slightest movement, all at incredible speed. Nor should we forget the cradle of high technology that F1 represents. It’s such a delight to be here with Hublot today, so close to Bernie, the racing, the drivers, the cars, the high technology and the F1 Grand Prix in general. This is the start of a very special relationship”.

Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One group: “I have long had a keen interest in watches and the art of watchmaking and I am very pleased to be announcing this deal today. Hublot’s meteoric rise in the industry has been a very well managed achievement and I would like to congratulate Jean-Claude for this. There is an energy, creativity and dedication to perfection about Hublot which sits very well with us and I could not think of a better brand with which to begin a new chapter in Formula One’s enduring association with luxury watches”.

Technical details

Case “King Power”, diameter 48 mm, in satin-finished zirconium

Bezel                           Zirconium and ceramic, disc brake decoration with 6 H-shaped black PVD titanium screws in relief

Crystal                        Sapphire with interior/exterior anti-reflective treatment

Bezel Lug                    Black composite resin

Lateral Inserts             Black composite resin

Case-back                    Satin-finished zirconium

Crown                          Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert

Push-pieces                Black PVD titanium with red rubber insert, marked START and RESET

Screws                         Black PVD titanium

Water resistance         100 m or 10 ATM

Dial Multilayered, indexes with black nickel treatment, black SuperLuminova™, F1 logo at 12 o’clock

Hands Micro-blasted, satin-finished & rhodium-plated, with red SuperLuminova™

Movement Mechanical chronograph with automatic winding, Hublot calibre HUB 4100

No. of Components     252

Jewels                         27

Bridges                        Micro-blasted, bevelled & polished

Screws                         Black PVD

Oscillating Weight       Tungsten carbide with black PVD treated dimpled surface

Main plate                   Sandblasted & rhodium-plated

Barrel                          With reinforced spring

Escapement                Glucydur hairspring

Power Reserve            42 hours          

Strap Adjustable articulated black rubber and red Nomex™

Clasp Titanium, with black PVD folding mechanism

Edition limited to 500 pieces numbered from 01/500 to 500/500

The enterprising genuises over at Hublot are at it again, this time presenting for the first time ever a live event featuring Mr Biver and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter who will hold a press conference from FIFA HQ. You can follow the press conference live on www.Hublot.com, just make sure you’re there at 2pm (Swiss Time) for the kick off!

Don’t despair if you can’t get to a computer, you can also follow the press conference live on on your I-Phone, simply transfer this link (http://gaia.world-television.com/hublot/iphone/) directly to your I-Phone browser and connect to the live stream of the press conference!

Who knows what they will be announcing!?

The 38th Baselworld Show has wound up with smiles all round: firstly from the Swiss exhibitors, with confirmation of the signs of recovery recorded in January and February of this year; then from the visitors in their response to the superb pieces created by Switzerland’s watch and jewellery makers; and, finally, with attendance up on last year, from the organisers.

Recovery confirmed for Swiss watchmakers
2010 started out on a positive note, with Swiss watch exports on the rise for the first time in fifteen months (+ 2.7% in value terms in January and + 14.2% in February), and these signs of recovery were confirmed at Baselworld, the sector’s most important barometer. While performance varied from one brand to another, there was one constant, irrespective of markets or positioning: the large stocks that have weighed on retailers’ budgets since the end of 2008 are being absorbed. There is now an urge to buy, made possible by a renewed availability of liquidity.

Another significant feature of the show was the return of American buyers, who had practically deserted it in 2009. Beyond the obvious business perspectives, their very presence symbolises a general upturn, considering that it was in the United States that the financial crisis began before spreading around the world. Backed by these signs of a lasting recovery, Swiss watchmakers are banking on second-half
growth this year comparable to the figures achieved in 2007 and 2008, depending on the region.

Watchmakers opt for a blend of tradition and innovation
This year’s timepieces display considerable mechanical originality, as though Switzerland’s watchmakers wished to pay tribute to the impressive patrimony they all share. While the crisis put an end to any kind of ostentation, 2010’s creations focus on the métiers d’art. Rarely has finishing achieved such heights of
sophistication in watches of unpretentious refinement. Discretion, moreover, seems to be a must where elegance is concerned, as testified by the ladies’ watches, with brands opting for small, even ultra-small, models to highlight their precious character. The men’s 2010 models, like those for women, display a refined
aesthetics, the guarantee of good taste capable of defying the dictates of fashion.

Switzerland’s jewellers
Results for Switzerland’s jewellers have been more mixed. While brands benefiting from a strong name have skilfully overcome these difficult times, designers with small advertising budgets have had trouble making any impact. Getting people to buy has proved more difficult, especially as stocks remained relatively high, which is not the case in the watch sector. Despite a certain overcautiousness amongst buyers – Europeans mainly – exhibiting at Baselworld has proved to be an imperative for Switzerland’s jewellers. Getting oneself known, communicating and making contacts today appear to be the determining factors for success tomorrow.

True to their values, our jewellers have confidence in the future and are committed to putting quality and reliability above everything else. This year’s Swiss jewellery pieces at Baselworld embody the most striking expression of this philosophy: aesthetic research, new alloys offering original nuances in gold, palladium or platinum and, above all, extraordinarily fine hand-finishing work.

Related branches confident in the recovery
Once again, Europe has confirmed its position as the manufacturing centre for the watch and jewellery sector, while South America continues to grow in importance, confirming the trend started last year. There were, however, fewer visitors from the Gulf and Asia at the related branches’ stands. In general, the crisis has prompted a certain wait-and-see policy, shown by a hesitation to invest in production tools.

Nevertheless, the recovery in the watch sector should have a knock-on effect in the related branches over the next few months. While this is bound to take some time, there have already been encouraging signs among suppliers on the job front.

A “good show”
Baselworld 2010 will go down as a “good show” for the Swiss exhibitors, even though there was no repeat of the records attained in 2007 and 2008. The size, quality and reputation of the show, the attendance figures and holding it during the first three months of the year have all laid the groundwork for a robust and lengthy upturn for the whole watch, jewellery and related branches sector. See you next year at Baselworld 2011, from 24 to 31 March !

BASELWORLD 2010 in figures
> Date 18 to 25 March 2010
> Visitors 100,700 | + 7%
> Media representatives 2,900
> Exhibitors 1’915
> Swiss brands 456
> Exhibition space 160,000 m2
> Dates 2011: 24 to 31 March
> Dates 2012: 8 to 15 March
> Dates 2013: 25 April to 2 May

Jaeger-LeCoultre launches its second online auction for the preservation of World Heritage sites from March 18th to March 24th.

After last year’s Tides of Time campaign, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents its second online auction to benefit the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This year, the Manufacture is offering an iconic and unique timepiece: one of the two vintage 1958 Geophysic Chronometers Model E168 tested by professional climber Stephane Schaffter and his team during their recent Geophysic Expedition to the Himalayas.

As a tribute, the case-back of this collector’s timepiece is engraved with the words: “Geophysic Expedition ; Mt Antoine LeCoultre, 6589m, Himalayas, October 22, 2009.”, and will be delivered with the very Ostrich leather strap used by the climbers (+ a 2^nd new strap), a special Geophysic packaging and the extract from the Archives Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the India’s Sundarbans UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 1987.

The website is already LIVE for informing all the interested bidders about the auctioned timepiece: the bidding zone is not active, but registering is possible for interested bidders.

The online auction will start on March 18th, 2010 at 12.00 C.E.T.  and ends on March 24th, 2010 at 12.00 C.E.T, on https://auction.jaeger-lecoultre.com

The Brand will Re-Position Itself at BaselWorld 2010 for a New Era of Trailblazing

The world will get an exciting peek into the future of TechnoMarine, the game-changing Swiss watchmaker, at BaselWorld 2010, when the brand unveils its new Cruise Sport collection for global retailers and press.

Cruise has been the iconic pillar of the TechnoMarine brand since it splashed onto the scene in 1997. The fun and flirty designs were the first ever to mix diamonds with plastic. It was a revolutionary concept, especially within the traditional world of Swiss watch making, and the designs drew raves from globe-trotting style setters who embraced the glamorous new look. Cruise quickly became the hottest watch around and set the bar for the industry.

Today, TechnoMarine is on the threshold of renewal. With energetic new leaders at the helm, the brand will once again steer its own course through the industry. The themes that are at the core of the brand—technique and aquatic pursuits—will be more important than ever. Bold, daring designs will draw attention, but not overpower. Intelligent use of color will indulge the spirit, but won’t overwhelm.

The new TechnoMarine will be surprising, streamlined and sophisticated.

The first hint of what’s in store for the future, Cruise Sport is a revamped interpretation of the signature Cruise collection. The silhouette is straightforward, absent of excessive embellishments. The silicone strap – softer and more flexible than gel-plastic versions used in years past – is an exercise in clean lines and minimalist currents. Water resistant up to 200m and available in a chronograph or 3-hand style, the Cruise Sport excels on a diving expedition or aboard a speedboat, but, thanks to its sleek profile, can just as smoothly blend with boardroom attire.

Cruise Sport’s stealth black form is punctuated by subtle pops of color along the bezel, minute hand and tachymeter. Carefully selected shades of white, blue, fuchsia, green, and orange maintain the brand’s invigorating, ‘carpe diem’ attitude, whilst accommodating a desire to wear the watch regardless of climate or season. The re-designed bezel takes a smoother, less frenetic form. Wider hands allude to a strong, commanding sense of purpose, reflective of the brand’s technical merit. The re-envisioned dial, rendered in 3D, has new depth and added impact.

The Cruise Sport marks the earliest steps of TechnoMarine’s journey to reclaim its spot at the vanguard of innovation and creativity. It is a taste of what’s to come. A disruptive presence will be felt.

MB&F presents Horological Machine N^o2-SV, featuring a room-with-a-view crystal-clear sapphire case with titanium back. With its totally transparent case, HM2-SV offers unprecedented visual access to the painstakingly hand-finished, 349-component engine powering the indications on its iconic twin dials.

Sapphire’s hardness is second only to diamond, which makes the whole top half of the case (the most exposed half) extremely scratch-resistant. This is a timepiece that will keep its good looks for a very, very long time.

While wristwatches have long featured synthetic sapphire crystals, its use in watchcases has been much more limited, and with good reason. Sapphire retains its strength at high temperatures, has zero porosity and only reacts with acids above 300°C. However, the very properties that make it so attractive as a potential case material also make it immensely difficult to work, requiring sophisticated diamond tools to machine, and then it needs to be very carefully polished to turn the naturally opaque surface transparent.

The process would have been very difficult for even a plain plate of this size, but the complex, three-dimensional form required for HM2-SV, with its bevels, mounting holes, crystal cut-outs and gasket track, pushed the extreme limits of sapphire crystal technology way beyond what was thought possible.

Surprisingly, because it is largely unseen, the sapphire is a substantial 3.6mm thick. Thanks to anti-reflective treatment on both sides – in itself no small technological feat to uniformly apply – the case becomes virtually invisible and allows for full appreciation as the eye is drawn into appreciating a myriad of sublime nuances that are revealed in the intricate movement. Eight mounting bolts, traversing the sapphire plate like pillars and passing through the bright blue gasket sealing the two case halves adds to the architectural nature of the three-dimensional case. The eye-catching blue of the gasket is echoed in the hour disk and moon phase, and also the blued 22k gold Battle-axe automatic winding rotor is arrestingly visible through the display back.

*Images courtesty of MB&F

To ensure maximum light and visibility through to the movement, the two dials – minutes and date – are also in sapphire, sapphire disks lightly brushed to a perfect translucency ensuring full legibility of the polished silvered numbers while allowing maximum light through to the engine beneath.

While Horological Machine N^o2-SV is a highly engineered 21st century timepiece in every sense, the quality and execution of the hand finishing showcases the very best in traditional craftsmanship. It is craftsmanship that is brought to the fore as the sapphire case allows uninterrupted light to enter, bounce and scintillate off the highly polished surfaces and perfectly hand-bevelled edges, bringing vivacity to the rich combination of colours, materials, shapes and textures.

The engine, developed by award-winning master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, features the world’s first mechanical movement offering: Instantaneous Jump Hour, Concentric Retrograde Minutes, Retrograde Date, Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase and Automatic Winding. One highlight (of many) of the HM2 complication is the highly energy-efficient Jump Hour/Retrograde mechanism developed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, which uses his exclusive (and patented) asymmetrical-tooth gear wheels to ensure high precision and play-free functionality.
 

HM2-SV – Technical Specifications

Horological Machine N^o2-SV is a limited edition of 25 pieces only

*Images courtesty of MB&F

Movement:

Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor designed functionality regulated and powered by a Girard-Perregaux oscillator and gear train

Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph

Blued 22k rose gold Battle-axe automatic winding rotor

Number of components: 349 including 44 jewels

Functions:

Left dial: Retrograde Date and Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase

Right Dial: Jumping Hours and Concentric Retrograde Minutes

Case:

Sapphire/titanium limited to 25

Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs): 59mm x 38mm x 13mm

Water resistant to 30 meters (3 ATM)

Number of parts: 120 (case only)

Sapphire crystals:

Sapphire case top and crystals over the dual dials treated with anti-reflective treatment on both faces. Display back with anti-reflective treatment on single face. 

Dials:

Brushed sapphire and metallic blue disks

Strap & Buckle:

Black hand-stitched alligator with 18k white gold & titanium folding buckle

Presentation box:

Precision engineered aluminium and leather instrument case featuring an integrated Rüeger thermometer

At a ceremony at Fukuoka on 22 November, Pierre Dubois, CEO of Pierre DeRoche, presented Tsuyoshi Wada with a GrandCliff TNT Royal Rétro, thereby sealing the partnership between the Japanese baseball star and the Swiss watch brand.

Baseball is Japan’s national sport and far more popular than football. A member of Japan’s national baseball team, Mr Wada participated in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Idolized for having won the bronze medal with the national side in the 2004 Olympics and the gold medal at the 2006 World Championships, he is also highly respected for his work with children, most notably for the vaccination campaigns organised by his foundation.

It was an emotionally-packed moment when Pierre Dubois handed him the TNT Royal Rétro  watch, N° 21, the star’s number in the national side. As Mr Dubois pointed out, Tsuyoshi Wada embodies technical mastery, excellence and reliability, values that have created a bond between him and Pierre DeRoche, the designer of high-tech, sports-inspired timepieces.

Contact :

Pierre DeRoche SA, Le Revers 1, CH-1345 Le Lieu, Tel. +41 21 841 11 69, www.pierrederoche.com

Mrs Carole Dubois, Public Relations, Mobile +41 79 602 83 36, e-mail : ca.dubois@pierrederoche.com

Maîtres du Temps is pleased to present the latest additions to the Chapter Two collection. The world’s most legible triple calendar mechanical wristwatch is now available in varying combinations for the discriminating
watch enthusiast.

Chapter Two, a collaboration of master watchmakers including Peter Speake-Marin and Daniel Roth, features central hours and minutes indicated by elegant diamond-cut, solid gold hands, sub-seconds at 6 o’clock, big date at 12 o’clock, and the day and month spelled out in full on their respective rollers. The combination of a big date and full text for the days and months confers upon Chapter Two a legibility unprecedented for a triple calendar
wristwatch.

Chapter Two’s technically groundbreaking movement was developed in close collaboration by its highly experienced master watchmakers and was extensively tested, refined, and decorated until Chapter Two satisfied their most exigent standards. In particular, the mechanism for driving the rollers demanded significant technical and inventive reflection to obtain the most efficient and reliable system possible. The fact that the big date and both rollers change instantaneously bears testament to the success of their innovative design and high-precision manufacture.

Available in 18K white or red gold, each model is limited to 50 pieces.

Prices start at $72,000.00.

Images and specifications are available at www.maitresdutemps.com

Make sure you keep your eyes out for the two part special on Maitres Du Temps due to be published on The Watch Lounge next week!

The world of horology and its avid watch collectors is set to cross new frontiers with the official launch of the brand new watch winder boutique, Timeless Gallery, located at ION Orchard.

Timeless Gallery, Singapore’s first and only watch winder boutique, is a masterpiece that showcases a luxurious collection of the world’s finest and most premium German and Austrian names in watch winders, watch cases and mechanical clocks – Erwin Sattler, Dottling and Buben&Zorweg.

Positioned as a premium luxury lifestyle boutique that targets a sophisticated and savvy audience such as avid watch collectors and enthusiasts, Timeless Gallery is poised to stir up strong market interest for watch winders as an evolution from precision winding motors and storage cases to horological art investment for décor and security. Such high tech, multi-functional and customizable watch winders also make great conversation pieces as a brilliant showcase for personal collections of luxury timepieces.

“Timeless Gallery is designed as an ultimate luxury lifestyle boutique that caters to a discerning audience looking for bespoke horological art investment pieces beyond watch collection. The watch winder pieces we carry can be customized according to individual requirements with beautiful mechanical music and precision regulators, while our mechanical clock pieces incorporate the finest tourbillon movements. We are confident that this is something that a sophisticated watch collectors’ market like Singapore will appreciate to complement their personal timepiece collections,” said Mr. Jimmie Tay, Managing Director, Timeless Gallery.

With clear, distinct space demarcating each exquisite brand, the superb showcase includes a mechanical revival of Erwin Sattler’s classical mechanical clocks that double up as décor and security pieces with safety box compartment neatly tucked away behind the fine craftsmanship; the stylish talking pieces by Dottling
that exude luxury from the upholstered casing to its core as opulent, high security safes that store fine watches and jewellery fit for royalty; and bespoke Buben&Zorweg watch winder pieces that can be customized into a walk-in wardrobe or a living room cabinet display that incorporate watch winders, a cigar humidor, a safe and a mini bar display.

Three limited edition star pieces are also brought in exclusively to be showcased during the official launch period, starting from 19 November 2009 for two weeks. They include Buben&Zorweg’s X-007 Collector that features a high tech safe with 29 watch winders; Erwin Sattler’s Thesaurus, a fully automated desk made of the finest precious wood and equipped with eight watch winders; and Döttling’s “Brabant”, the first piece within its favourites collection of antique-inspired safe, is equipped with eight watch winders and four jewelry compartments. This exquisite masterpiece comes in a design reminiscent of the late 19th century royal courts’ opulence, combining the splendor of past epochs with contemporary and precise workmanship of today.

ABOUT TIMELESS GALLERY
Established in 2009, the Timeless Gallery is the first luxury watch winder specialist boutique in Southeast Asia with its first store opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 2009. Carrying the finest range of watch winders, watch cases and mechanical clocks from Germany and Austria, the Timeless Gallery is set to expand into the regional markets in Asia over the next few years to offer its concept of timekeeping beyond mere storage and maintenance, and inculcate a true appreciation of horology-related art collectibles.

Timeless Gallery is situated at #04-06, 2 Orchard Turn, ION Orchard. Tel: 6509 3432.