Posts Tagged ‘watches’
Wow Watch Wednesday: Jean Dunand Grande Complication
This week we feature an absolutely stunning piece from Jean Dunand, breathtaking in both its technical complexity and exceptional design. Created for true connoisseurs of haute horology, the suitably named Grande Complication is powered by a unique Christophe Claret creation, a manually wound movement that features an astonishing 12 complications in total and is constructed from 827 individual components.
Did we mention it looks utterly superb as well?
The Grand Complication
Traditionally speaking to qualify for the title of a true “grand complication” watch, the piece must give full expression to the three classical areas of horological complication: the repeater, the chronograph and the perpetual calendar. Jean Dunand has taken this foundation and further enhanced it by adding a tourbillon escapement and retrograde calendar indications to their list of requirements.
At the same time the brand has not forgotten that however complicated a watch, good timekeeping is its primary function. Therefore in a bid to further improve the accuracy of the timekeeping function master watchmaker Christophe Claret has introduced an isolation device that disconnects the chronograph split-seconds hand from the movement when it is stopped. Without this device, the stopped split seconds acts as a brake on the movement, affecting its performance.
A subtle improvement perhaps but an admirable one nonetheless.
Before we go on we think it’s also important to note that despite the exceptionally impressive list of complications it is fantastic to see that the dial remains relatively uncluttered and easy to read, often a criticism of high-end pieces with multiple complications. It is also refreshing to see that company has resisted the urge to expose the tourbillon in the dial, instead making it visible through the sapphire exhibition case-back.
Whilst we are certainly great admirers of the tourbillon complication, it seems that in recent times they have become far too prevalent in watch-making, often used it would seem simply to try and promote the brand’s credentials as a watch-maker (as we’ve previously discussed here). Jean Dunand is certainly not a brand that needs to do this, instead adopting a more subtle approach and allowing the exemplary quality to speak for itself.
Which it undeniably does, not only speaking to you but singing as well.
You see, as we mentioned before, the piece features what is considered by many to be the most technically challenging of all the great complications, the Minute-Repeater. Slide down the lever in the caseband and the cams, racks and hammers instantly spring to life to calculate and convey the time to the minute to you through a series of chimes. The hours are struck on the first gong, followed by the quarters on two gongs and ending with the minutes on the second gong.
Regular readers of The Watch Lounge will appreciate just how complex a task it is to synchronize and control this spring-driven engine, thus making this one of the highest tests of a watchmaker’s skill.
Shifting our focus to the dial now, the perpetual calendar complication accurately and easily informs the wearer of the date, day, month and four-year cycle. The clean presentation on the dial’s surface belies the highly complex assemblage of wheels, cams and levers operating in perfect unison beneath to compute the varying months of the calendar, not forgetting February 29 every four years.
To further enhance the wearer’s experience the added complications of retrograde indications for the date and the day simplify the calendar display. A mere glance is all that is required to observe how the month and the week are progressing. At the end of each, the hands fly back to Monday and the first of the month respectively, a glorious sight to behold no doubt.
In total Jean Dunand lists the 12 Complications as follows: Tourbillon; Minute-repeater; Chronograph; Split seconds; Minutes-counter; Perpetual calendar; Retrograde date x 2; Retrograde day x 2; Month; Leap-year.
As with all Jean Dunand timepieces, each Grande Complication is a unique piece.
The Final Word
What more can be said about this truly breathtaking timepiece? Somehow it manages to be extremely complex and technically brilliant whilst at the same time remaining elegantly understated and entirely wearable. Casual observers will appreciate its aesthetic beauty and stunning design whilst true connoisseurs will be simply enthralled by its mastery of traditional watch-making techniques.
Yet another masterpiece for Jean Dunand in our humble opinion, perhaps even the best yet?
1 Excellent Comment | Filed under New This Week, Wow Watch Wednesday
Interview With Jérôme Pineau; Community Manager, Marvin Watches
Some of you may already be familiar with Jérôme Pineau, the internet savvy Community Manager for Marvin Watches who has been single-handedly building the brand’s presence on-line. We have been quietly observing this exceptional upward trend since the beginning of the year and so we decided to approach Jérôme to find out more.
We had already discovered with great pleasure that he was a faithful reader of The Watch Lounge, always happy to share his views and engage with other readers. So to find out more we also followed his personal Twitter account, as well as the Marvin account and discovered pretty quickly just why he has been so successful.
Not only is Jérôme (and by extension Marvin) extremely accessible, his activity on-line is also exceptionally relevant and geared towards creating meaningful relationships with customers and enthusiasts alike, not just reeling off corporate spiel about the brand like so many others do. He’s also exceedingly kind and always willing to go the extra mile for Marvin customers, building invaluable goodwill for the brand.
So, without further ado we give you Marvin Watch’s community manager, Jérôme Pineau!
Please note this interview is also available in French here.
BIO:
Name : Pineau, Jérôme.
Age : 45.
Employer: Marvin Watches.
Distinguishing characteristic: The only, or almost, the only Community Manager in the watch-making world.
Main activity: To create, develop and manage the reputation of the brand over the web, in relation to all its stakeholders – journalists, bloggers, clients, prospects, etc.
Limitations: None!
The highly desirable Malton M160 by Marvin
TWL: So, Jérôme tell us, how did you become a Community Manager?
JP: By pure chance! I spent the better part of my career in the US, mainly in the software industry as a sales engineer and an evangelist. I was always very up to date about new technologies, and especially about the web. One day, Sandrine Szabo, the head of Marvin’s communication agency, NetInfluence, contacted me on LinkedIn. One thing lead to another, and before I knew it I was offered a job to join Marvin.
TWL: So I guess that you were already a big watch-making fan, right?
JP: Not at all, I didn’t know anything about the industry! And I think that’s what attracted Marvin on my CV. They have a great expertise in watch-making, but communication (especially online) is not their business. I had the opposite position. So, we joined forces, and now we can have an objective outlook on each others work.
TWL: What is it like to work for Marvin?
JP: The company’s state of mind is all about being open-minded and daring and as such I have been given free reign. While here, in Switzerland, all the decisions are the result of a long thoughtful process designed to eliminate all potential risks, in the country where I come from, the United States, we tend to try new things, new approaches, new tactics, with sometimes completely new and unexpected results.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Then we work backwards, we publicly acknowledge our mistakes, and then try something else. There is not a good way, and a bad way. The whole challenge was to transpose one country’s methods into the context of the other one.
TWL: And so, what are the results?
JP: Well, I’ve already noticed that some well-known brands are watching us closely! Almost as though we were some kind of lab experiment in fact. Although it’s still early days some of the results can already be seen: the average time spent on the site by visitors has multiplied by 4, on more than 300.000 pages viewed ; Facebook fans have multiplied by a factor of 100 in just two weeks (currently sitting at an impressive 937 at the time of publication), and we have more than 500 followers on Twitter. All these figures grow on a daily basis, but I’ve only been here since January.
If you prefer something a little sportier than try the Malton 160 Cushion by Marvin
TWL: These are very promising results indeed! Why then don’t other brands follow the trend?
JP: It’s not my job to judge the strategy of my colleagues, but I have noticed that many decisions are made according to the brand’s positioning, and not according to market expectations.
At Marvin, our first priority is to listen to the market. We listen carefully to what our customers want – that’s why we have created all these communities and opened channels for direct conversation with them. How can you learn what are your customer’s wishes if they have no way to express them?
This is why we have opened so many channels of communication: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, a blog, on-line chat, etc. We listen to our clients and try to answer them in the fastest and most satisfying way.
TWL: Could you give us an example?
JP: Take the e-shop case. Many brands, as a matter of principle, don’t open an e-shop. But in our case, our customers requested it. Consequently, we are going to open one.
TWL: A great challenge!
JP: Yes! We’ll have to have a close look at the supply chain, provisioning, and above all, the customer service. Some brands focus above all on the brand reputation. At Marvin, our obsession is customer service!
Some cheeky advertising from the brand dedicated to doing things differently!
TWL: Still, all these initiatives are, after all, mainly virtual. Surely there will be a time when you’ll have to actually meet your audience…
JP: Yes, and the web is a great meeting tool! Recently, we had a negative comment posted on our blog from a client who had troubles with his watches and was disappointed by the follow-up he was offered. First of all, I left the comment on the blog and answered it within the minute, because in my opinion we have to be completely transparent with our clients. Mistakes happen, of course, this is part of the daily job of any brand. What’s important is not to hide them, but how you correct them.
In this case, I offered to send this client a new watch immediately. He refused: he wanted to come down to our office and get it personally! We had a very pleasant moment together.
TWL: Are you concerned that with such strong, open communication you might eventually lose control of what is said about your brand on-line?
JP: Not at all! The content, once published, is no longer ours any more, it belongs to the community of people who follow us! In my opinion, this desire to control everything is a mistake. Let’s be honest: it’s the Holy Grail when someone starts talking about your brand publicly without you asking them too!
TWL: The Final Word?
JP: There’s still a lot to do, this is only the beginning. Marvin is a wonderful brand. It has the story, the legitimacy, 160 years of watch-making, high quality, and a true market vision. My job, as the community manager, is to let the whole world know about it!
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!
Tissot And Holition Team Up To Bring Augmented Reality To The Masses
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!
Ferrari Announces Unique Collaboration With Cabestan!
In breaking news announced just a few hours ago Italian super car maker Ferrari will partner with luxury watch-maker Cabestan, makers of the highly complicated Winch Tourbillon Vertical and the all new Nostromo! The announcement comes after the company parted ways with their previous partner of five years, Panerai, earlier this year due to the lack luster performance of their Ferrari branded watches which never really gained any popularity or credibility as many saw them as Panerai’s with slightly different (and less attractive) branding.
It seems that the company learned their lesson from their experience with Panerai and so the challenge they set to all potential watch-making partners was to create something truly special, not just another standard model with a Ferrari badge stuck on the dial.
As such, the criteria they set was quite stringent, the successful partner had to:
- - develop a model that was absolutely exclusive to Ferrari;
- - which showcased the same attention to aesthetics and engine design that Ferrari itself is famous for;
- - possess a true passion for automobiles;
- - approach the challenge with an out-of-the-box way of thinking; and
- - have true know-how in watchmaking.
When you take into consideration all these factors Cabestan is almost the only logical choice! Unlike Panerai, Cabestan has very close links to the racing industry and Ferrari in particular, and the design and functionality of the Winch Tourbillon is actually inspired by race cars. This is not surprising really when you consider that head designer Jean-Francois Ruchonnet owns a couple of Ferrari’s himself and is a very passionate race car driver and motor sport enthusiast.
What’s most exciting, however, is that both design teams have worked on this unique piece together, lead by Maranello’s Luca di Montezemolo. Although they stay true to the heritage of the Cabestan these pieces represent a collaboration in the truest sense of the word and feature actual materials from the Ferrari workshop. For example the Alcantara strap, the same material used for Ferrari’s seats.
An example of Cabestan’s exceptional work: The Nostromo released in 2010
It seems now finally that Ferrari owners might have the chance to own Ferrari branded timepieces that are as unique and exciting (and as expensive) as the cars they love. We say might because just owning a Ferrari doesn’t actually qualify you for ownership of this piece. Only clients personally selected by Ferrari will be offered the opportunity to buy this inaugural timepiece and sources suggest only a limited run of 60 units will be produced.
The estimated price tag? A cool $500k.
Certainly Cabestan’s creations aren’t for everyone but one thing is for sure, on the wrist they are as distinctive and as instantly recognizable as their super car counterparts.
The first image of what the co-designed Ferrari/Cabestan piece might look like.
Source: Business Montres
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Latest Comments
- Nick Orloff: Beautiful piece, regrettably a little (?) out of my price range. I’d love to...
- Olivier Muller: Thanks, BMW
Stay tuned ! - Jack: Looks like a really nice watch for the price!