Posts Tagged ‘Geneva’
MCT Sequential One All Black – A Wow Watch Wednesday Exclusive!
Think of one of the most unique, innovative and just down-right cool timepieces you have ever seen and then imagine it dressed in all black. That’s exactly what super exclusive luxury watch-maker Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps (MCT) have done and the result, the all new Sequential One All Black, is nothing short of superb.
In fact, quite frankly, we think this is one of the most sophisticated and seductive timepieces we’ve ever seen. However, don’t take our word for it, read on and judge for yourselves.
MCT Watches
If you’re not familiar with MCT Watches then you have most certainly been missing out. Comprised of an extremely talented team of watch-makers led by their pioneering founder Denis Giguet, MCT’s first creation, the highly acclaimed Sequential One, became an instant hit with collector’s and connoisseurs the world over.
And it’s not hard to see why.
The Sequential One is a complex masterpiece where each function is based on a combination of elements rotating on three dimensional axes, at different speeds and moments. It is more complicated than a tourbillion and each timepiece takes many days to assemble in MCT’s Geneva Atelier.
Conceived by Giguet and then designed in conjunction with another very famous player in the industry, watch designer extraordinaire Eric Giroud (read our exclusive interview with him here) the Sequential One represented the culmination of everything Giguet had learned during his time as the Head of Production at Harry Winston, overseeing the production of the famous Opus series (1 – 6).
A self-confessed passionate student of the last 200 years of Swiss high horology Giguet says he has a great respect for the watches made by his peers but at the same time acknowledges his ever present desire to create his own vision.
“I aim to ‘change the face of time’ by using new and quite unique movements and visual displays, always featuring a large and distinctive Hour indicator” he explains. “Many expensive watches have appeared with weird and wonderful designs but they often have very little functionality. Our customers tell us that they now want to buy “real” watches, not pure objects of fantasy.”
Even still, we can’t help but think there is something distinctively magical about this latest offering. Perhaps even…Black Magic?
The All Black Treatment
Available from June this year as a very special limited production model of just 20 pieces a year worldwide, we predict the Sequential One All Black will be an even bigger success with collectors than the original model.
Don’t believe us?
Well, the first 10 pieces for 2010 have already been pre-sold, so if you are considering adding one of these exceptional timepieces to your collection our advice would be not to wait too long. If you’re not yet convinced, read on and we think you might change your mind.
As you can see the distinctive case has received a carbon black DLC treatment using Gold as the base metal, resulting in an elegantly sculpted, sophisticated timepiece without compare. The black alligator leather strap, complete with dynamic red stitching, ensures that the Sequential One All Black fits snugly to your wrist, held in place by the unique MCT gold deployment buckle which is presented in a mix of gold and gold with black DLC treatment.
Just like the original model the stunning dial display comprises over-sized Hour numerals on 12 prism faces and a jumping, sapphire crystal dial, which combines with a single gold hand to indicate the Minutes. However, in this limited edition the prism faces have received a special dark coating which may seem like a minor detail but it really makes the large numerals stand out in contrast.
On the rear of the watch a sapphire exhibition case-back allows for unobstructed views of the breathtaking in-house designed and assembled movement which has been coated with Black DLC and contrasts superbly with the gold highlights.
It’s important to take a moment here to fully appreciate the significance of an in-house designed and assembled movement as it is rare these days that companies design such complex masterpieces themselves, preferring instead to outsource this task. However, for Giguet, this was never an option;
“The starting point for me in designing Sequential One was to develop and build an exclusive in-house MCT movement which we have called the ‘Jumping Sequential Hour’. It is rare for Swiss watch brands to have their own movement but for me it is a pre-requisite for any authentic, high horology company.”
As such, whilst some external suppliers were utilized to machine some of the parts required, the design and assembly process as well as quality-control testing was performed in-house by Denis and MCT’s own team of watchmakers, comprising head watch-maker Jérome Marcu, Baptiste Guye and Alexandre Bonnet. Therefore, for those fortunate enough to own one of these outstanding machines, they will have the peace of mind knowing that all servicing will also be conducted in-house by Jerôme and his highly trained team.
The Final Word
It is not often that we see limited edition re-imaginings of original models that really capture our imagination and cause us to re-examine everything we thought about their original incarnations. The MB&F HM 3 ‘The Frog’ is such a timepiece, as is the Urwerk UR-CC1 Black Cobra. Now, we have a third watch to add to this extremely exclusive list, the Sequential One All Black.
Never could we have imagined that MCT could do anything to this masterful timepiece to make us desire it any more than we already did (which was a lot for the record!) and yet they have. Not by making it more complicated or fancy, but instead by refining it and allowing its ever present elegance and sophistication to truly shine through.
What ever form of magic is at play here, black or otherwise, we have most certainly fallen under its enchanting spell.
To learn more visit MCT’s official website – www.mctwatches.com
1 Excellent Comment | Filed under Exclusives and Previews, New This Week, Watch News
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!
Taking A Trip To The Home Of Watch Making
Taverne de la Madeleine, home to MB&F’s creative studios.
Over the last few days you may have noticed that The Watch Lounge was a bit quieter than usual and I apologize for this. However, once you hear the reason I think you’ll agree it was quite understandable. You see I spent 3 1/2 very hectic days touring all over Switzerland with industry veteran Ian Skellern visiting some the best known watch makers in the world so that I could bring you guys all the latest information and insights from the world of high-end luxury watches. In the coming weeks I will be publishing a series of more in-depth articles on the people I visited and the sights I saw.
So, who did I visit you ask? Good question.
To get a real snapshot of the industry I thought it was important to visit a mix of independent watch makers as well as larger manufacturers. Although I couldn’t hope to visit absolutely everyone in the short amount of time I had, we still managed to fit in a pretty good cross section, including:
- Thomas Prescher
- Peter Speake-Marin (Speake-Marin)
- Daniel Roth
- Maximilian Busser (MB&F)
- Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk)
- Hublot
- Ludovic Ballouard
- Roland Iten
- Girard-Perreguax
- Jean Richard
- Greubel Forsey
- Christophe Claret SA
I have already started uploading some of the photos from the trip on our Facebook page with the rest to follow soon, so make sure you get over there to check them out.
A special thanks again to Ian Skellern for not only helping me organize the trip but also for his excellent photography. We also have a couple of extra special prizes to giveaway, the details of which will be announced in the coming week, so make sure you stay tuned for that!
Thank you again for your understanding, I really hope you enjoy the photos and please feel free to leave your comments below.
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