Archive for the ‘Watch News’ Category:
URWERK UR-CC1 – The Black Cobra Strikes
As if you needed another reason to be completely enthralled by Swiss watch-maker Urwerk. Be careful though, this one bites! Officially announced yesterday the mind-blowing UR-CC1 has shed its grey gold skin to unveil a lethal black cobra beneath. As dark as it is mesmerizing, the UR-CC1 in black AlTiN will entrance you with its aggressive style and baffling mechanical complexity. Not for the faint hearted, this is one timepiece that must be approached with respect and caution.
Superbly Complex
The stealth-like styling and relatively simple display of this truly sensational piece from Urwerk mask just how superbly complex the mechanism actually is. Holding the piece face on you confronted with two very unusual but nonetheless simplistic looking indications: jumping hours and retrograde minutes. You see, on the UR-CC1 the hours and minutes count down the time by moving linearly.
To the uninformed that sounds like a rather unremarkable statement. Right now you’re probably looking at the clean, yellow dials and thinking “sure, it looks cool, but should I really be that impressed?” The answer is a resounding yes because the mechanism you see in front of you is so deceptively complex that it took the brilliant team at Urwerk more than three years of research and development and ten prototypes to overcome the technical challenges involved in indicating the hours and minutes in a linear fashion.
Why?
We’re glad you asked!
There were three main engineering challenges standing in the way:
- The movement could develop enough energy to operate the imposing minute cylinder, which is much heavier than a traditional hand, but where to find the additional energy to function the jumping hour cylinder?
- A toothed rack moves vertically to rotate the minutes, but how to ensure that it operates smoothly in all positions, despite the varying effects of the immutable laws of gravity?
- Having solved the power issues related to operating the jumping hours, how to ensure that there is enough energy available for the world-premiere digital seconds?
Still, these seemingly insurmountable challenges were not enough to deter the team from achieving their goal, and here’s how they did it.
Let’s Get Technical
A toothed rack/lever, visible through a display panel on the side of the “Black Cobra” transfers energy from the movement to the minute cylinder. The honeycomb structure of the lever offers the two seemingly contradictory properties of lightness and rigidity. Rigidity to accurately convey the profile of the triple cam to the minute cylinder, and extremely light/low mass so as to consume as little energy as possible and so that position, gravity and shocks have minimal effect.
The mechanism used is reminiscent of those seen in automata. A toothed segment at the end of a rack exactly moves up and down following the path drawn by the triple cam – a path that has been plotted from 104 reference points. Each of the three cams drives the rack for exactly 60 minutes. At precisely 60 minutes the rack drops on the cam provoking the opposite tooth-end of the rack to fall, which triggers the retrograde mechanism and rotates the minute cylinder. And all of this happens in just 1/10th of a second!
The energy released by the retrograde mechanism is recovered and used to power the rotation of the jumping hour cylinder. Visible through a display panel in the side of the case, a 12 pointed star and positioning spring are the only distinguishable components of this innovative mechanism for recycling energy.
Two essential elements, the disk for the digital seconds and the honeycombed rack, anchor the “Black Cobra” in cutting-edge technology. Photolithography was the only method able to provide the degree of accuracy and low mass required by these two critical components – the seconds’ disk weighs just 0.09 of a gram!
The Final Word
Felix Baumgartner, Urwerk’s ingenious Master watch-maker sums it up by saying; “We have created a monster that is hungry (for energy) so we have ensured that all forces can be recycled and reused. It is a very delicate balance as we work within fixed constraints, i.e. available force, mass, and current production technology, and then we go beyond our capabilities.”
…wow.
A special thanks to Urwerk for making all this excellent technical information available to us so that we could share it with you. Make sure you jump on their Facebook Page to get all the latest updates from this truly amazing company!
9 Great Comments. Leave one too. | Filed under Exclusives and Previews, New This Week, Recommended Reading, Watch News
Nadal Hits The Circuit With His All New RM 027 Tourbillon Timepiece
Last month we told you about a brand new timepiece created by luxury watch-maker Richard Mille for superstar tennis player Rafael Nadal. What makes this piece truly special (besides the $500k+ price tag) is that Nadal will actually wear it for every single match he plays, not just at charity events or for press conferences.
Official Debut
Earlier this week the all new RM 027 Tourbillon made it’s official debut on court at the 2010 Roland Gaross Tournament and judging by the look on Rafa’s face he could not be happier with his new watch even going as far as to say:
“It is an honor for me that someone like Richard has chosen me as one of his ambassadors. I know that he has worked very hard to be able to create this very special watch. I am honored and I am sure it will be a special and successful partnership.”
All indications so far suggest that he’s right, with the announcement of this incredible new partnership creating a huge buzz all over the internet. We were even asked for our thoughts by the New York Times!
Whilst Rafa may be very humble about being selected as an ambassador, this would seem to be a very intelligent move by Richard Mille. The luxury watch industry is highly competitive and so it is a constant battle to attract the attention (and the bank accounts) of your target market, regardless of what you have created in the past.
This piece may not be for everybody but it does showcase the extraordinary talents of Mr. Mille and in doing so gives a stunning endorsement to the other pieces in his collection. In addition, this bold move has created a huge buzz both in the industry itself as well as among the general population, generating invaluable publicity for the brand.
Although some of this can be attributed to the hefty price tag of $525,000 attached to the highly limited edition of just 50 pieces, the real hype relates to the fact that Rafa is actually willing to wear the watch during games. As any tennis enthusiast will tell you any perceptible shift in weight can really throw off a player’s whole technique.
To combat this Mille has created what is quite possibly the most expensive watch ever made without the use of traditional precious metals like gold or platinum. The RM 027 RN is one of the lightest tourbillion watches ever designed and weighs in at a meager 20g (including the strap). To make this possible the movement base-plate is crafted from titanium and LITAL alloy and the case is a special composite, containing large amounts of carbon.
The Final Word
Regardless of your personal opinions on the design or materials used, it has to be acknowledged that the fact that Mille was able to create such a delicate mechanism that is robust enough to be worn on the wrist of one the most active athletes in the world (and function reliably!) is truly remarkable.
Will it sell more watches though? Only time will tell.
Hublot Unveils New FIFA World Cup Watch!
Recently we told you about the exciting new partnership between Swiss watch-maker Hublot and the FIFA World Cup (if you missed it you can read all about it here plus check out our exclusive interview with Hublot CEO JC Biver here.) Now Hublot has released the first images of the inaugural, official FIFA World Cup Watch.
Take a look and let us know what you think!
Classic Fusion Between Sport And Luxury
Presented in Hublot’s newly introduced “Classic Fusion” case, the watch is fashioned almost entirely from 18ct pink gold and is luxuriously understated. Keeping with the monotone theme the satin-finished matching pink gold dial features a subtle tone-on-tone drawing of the prestigious FIFA World Cup Trophy at 6 o’clock.
A larger illustration of the world’s most prestigious sports prize is also engraved on the watch’s solid gold case-back, hiding the automatic winding HUB1112 movement from view.
Available in a limited number of just 100 numbered pieces the very first Hublot World Cup watch will be presented on an adjustable black Alligator Gummy strap.
The Final Word
To be honest at first we were a little surprised at just how simple and understated the all new Hublot World Cup timepiece is. However, now that we’ve had a little time to reflect on it we’re really starting to understand and appreciate its appeal, which much like the World Cup itself, is global. The classic design is timeless and at the same time all encompassing, providing the perfect blend of sport and luxury.
Although it may not suit our tastes completely we do think it is a very good first timepiece to celebrate the World Cup.
The question is; what do you think?
Who Wants To Look Amazing? Introducing The Benzinger Boutique Collection
A while ago we introduced you to the truly exceptional, one-of-a-kind Minute Repeater 2 timepiece from master craftsmen Grieb & Benzinger Platinum. Now, it gives us great pleasure to announce the all new Benzinger Boutique Collection, a unique combination of pure beauty and intricate craftsmanship designed to completely enthrall the wearer.
Think we’re exaggerating? Read on and decide for yourself.
The Benzinger Boutique Collection
Offered in white gold, pink gold and steel on request these stunning new timepieces are mostly based on manually wound movements from Unitas and showcase the extraordinary talents of Jochen Benzinger and Georg Bartkowiak. Characterized by hand-skeletonized movements, genuine hand-guilloché dials and technical modifications such as the striking position of the hour and minute displays above the dial, the Boutique Collection represents a superb combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern design.
We’ve picked out some of our favorites which we think you’re going to love too. First up is the aptly named and extremely desirable ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Collection:
The White Dragon (Beauty):
White mother-of-pearl dial, hand-created and applied dragon, white leather strap, diamond bezel, 18K White gold case, 42 mm, movement set with pavé diamonds, €32.500,00.
The Black Dragon (Beast):
Black sterling silver dial, hand-created and applied dragon, black hand-sewn alligator leather strap, 18K White gold case, 42 mm, oignon-style crown, hand-skeletonized, hand-engraved and hand-guilloché movement with flame-blued screws; black and gold finish, €20,500.
However, if you are a true connoisseur of skeletonized dials than you cannot go past the phenomenal Fancy Blossom collection. Presented in three different variations (Cherry Blossom, Coffee Blossom and Ice Blossom) these are no longer timepieces, they are superb works of art!
The Coffee Blossom
Movement completely skeletonized, engraved and engine-turned by hand, 18K White gold case with leather strap, 42 mm, diamond bezel, €25.500,00
The Final Word
It seems like more and more we are seeing a return to the traditional values of exceptional craftmanship, quality and individuality in the watch industry as high-end consumers continue to raise their expectations and demand highly-customized, unique pieces.
Whilst the new Boutique collection is designed to be more accessible (relatively speaking) than the Grieb & Benzinger Platinum series, you can be almost guaranteed you will not see a similar piece on anyone’s else wrist given the highly limited production numbers (approximately 100 pieces a year maximum). Beautifully executed, every piece in the collection demonstrates the standard of quality and attention to detail that Benzinger are renowned for.
Plus gentleman if you treat yourself to a Black Dragon and your lovely partner to a White Dragon everybody wins. Same goes for you too ladies!
If you would like to know more get on to the official Benzinger Boutique website: www.benzinger-boutique.com
What Watch Do You Wear And Why? Share Your Passion With Us!
What You Need To Know (A Quick Summary):
- The general public doesn’t appreciate or understand your passion for fine timepieces. We do and so do your fellow readers.
- Send us an email with a brief bio on yourself with some pictures of you and your watch (minimum size is 540 x 340 pixels).
- We’ll publish it on the site and share your passion with the (informed) world.
The Problem
Let me set the scene for you; you’re at a party/board meeting/special function, etc. and you’re feeling (and looking) good. You’ve lovingly chosen one of your favorite pieces from your collection, selected specifically to complement your attire and convey just the right message to your peers. Understandably you’ve already received several compliments on your exceptional timepiece, not to mention your fair share of admiring (jealous?) stares and then out of nowhere the inevitable question comes:
“Why would you spend that much on a watch? It just tells the time.”
The wind is instantly knocked out of you as though someone has just struck you with great force in the sternum. You take a step back trying to maintain your balance as the world begin to spins around you, your blood literally starts to boil in your veins. You gasp for air, internally dialogging at a furious rate trying to make sense of this completely nonsensical statement:
“Just tells the time? Are they mad!?”
At one time or another we’ve all been there and experienced this most distasteful of scenarios and invariably we’ve all wasted the next 5 to 10 minutes of our life trying to explain the rich tapestry that is our passion. On the rare occasion we’re able to break through and thus welcome another fellow enthusiast into the fold, truly a joyous occasion. More often than not, however, we’re simply met with glassy-eyed, non-comprehending stares or polite (and infuriating) nods.
The Solution?
Here’s what we propose: don’t waste your time telling people who will never understand why you’ve chosen the watch you’re wearing and what significance it holds for you.
Tell us.
Send us an email with a brief biography about yourself and your watch along with some pictures (minimum size is 540 x 340) and we’ll publish them here on the site so that you can share your passion with fellow enthusiasts from around the world who will actually understand and appreciate your story. And feel free to tell us about more than one, if you have a collection than share that too!
As long as you keep sending your stories through we will publish at least one new reader profile every week.
So what are you waiting for, send us an email now and share your passion with the (informed) world!
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