Posts Tagged ‘watches’
Weird Watch Wednesday: Introducing Marc Jenni And The Prologue (Video)
Every so often a new, up and coming watch-maker comes along and in a heartbeat completely alters our perception of the complicated art of watch-making. Marc Jenni is such a watch-maker and believe us, when you see his first creation the ‘Prologue’, you’ll understand exactly what we’re talking about. Presented earlier this year at Basel World, at first glance it will draw you in with its aesthetic simplicity and then as soon as you stray closer it will completely seduce you with its mechanical ingenuity.
Our advice? Don’t fight it.
Marc Jenni
You may not be familiar with the name Marc Jenni yet but judging from his first piece we think this AHCI candidate has a very bright future ahead of him as an independent watch-maker. In order to appreciate the true level of Marc’s skill though we think it’s important you know a bit about his background. It may come as a bit of surprise to learn that Marc was somewhat of a reluctant watch-maker, especially given that both his father and grandfather shared a passion for the craft. Still, when it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood.
So, Jenni went to study as apprentice watch-maker for four years under none other than the world famous and highly respected master watch-maker Paul Gerber. He then spent ten years working for famed American jeweler Tiffany & Co. in both New York and Lausanne before founding Nobletime with long-term partner and friend, Vicente Mafé and producing the very first piece under his own name.
Deceptively Simple
At first look the Prologue appears relatively normal, really not that different from the myriad of other high quality Swiss made dress watches. Take a closer look though. You’ll notice that the sub-dial to the right of the face is unlike anything you have seen before. Instead of having a date display or seconds display, this dial simply reads ‘Time’, ‘Date’, ‘Wind’.
Have you guessed what’s different about this extraordinary piece yet?
We’ll give you a hint. What looks like a standard crown at 4 o’clock is actually a pusher, which is used to select the function you wish to perform. You see, you may not realize it, but what you see in front of you is actually the world’s first lateral winding mechanism. Now we could explain to you how this works with boring old words but the reality is it’s far more exciting (and effective) to simply show you. It seems that Marc anticipated this might be the case so fortunately for us he put together an excellent little video to show how this groundbreaking piece works.
Enjoy!
Utterly delightful, isn’t it?
You probably wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes and that’s what we love so much about this piece, it is an exercise in discretion and subtlety designed purely for the enjoyment of the wearer.
Like the beautifully presented 44mm case, the turning ring is made from either 18 carat rose or white gold. To ensure it is soft to the touch and easy to use it has been treated with a soft-touch coating and as you can see from the video its trajectory is as smooth as any traditional crown we’ve ever seen.
Powering the Prologue is an automatic Caliber 2010 movement with date function and a power reserve of 42 hours, with remaining power indicated on the dial at 9 o’clock. Although it is an automatic movement you may find yourself deliberately letting the stored power run down so that you have another excuse to use the undeniably cool turning ring.
Presented in your choice of 18k rose or white gold, the Prologue is finished off on a hand-stitched black alligator strap with a matching 18k gold deployant buckle with locking mechanism.
The Final Word
We are simply blown away by Jenni’s creativity and originality, especially given that this is his first piece. Rather than using gimmicks or other tricks he has presented us with a piece that is completely pure and authentic, allowing his exceptional skills instead to speak for themselves. Like the lucky wearer of this piece, Marc does not need to loudly announce his presence, the stunning simplicity of his creation effortlessly draws all the attention for him and with good reason.
Needless to say we are very excited to see what the future holds for this young independent watch-maker.
If you would like to find out more check out Marc Jenni’s fantastic website: www.marcjenni.com. We have to say it is one of the cleanest and easiest to navigate websites we have seen from any of the watch-makers, be they big or small.
Then again, after seeing the Prologue we wouldn’t expect anything less than this practical simplicity.
UPDATE: We have just received confirmation of pricing from Mr. Jenni and we think you will be very pleasantly surprised!
Rose Gold – CHF 36’000
White Gold – CHF 39’000
That is amazing value when you consider that this complication is the first of its kind and the level of craftmanship is absolutely superb!
6 Great Comments. Leave one too. | Filed under New This Week, Wow Watch Wednesday
Exclusive: Max Büsser of MB&F Talks Us Through The All New HM3 Frog!
HM3 Black Frog (black Titanium) – limited edition of 12 pieces ©MB&F
You may recall that a few weeks ago we published a photo of the first and only hint presented by MB&F in relation to their latest creation, known simply as the Frog. Now we are proud to be able to bring you the official photos of this breathtaking new piece, unveiled only a short while ago!
Modeled on the HM No.3 the hour and minute gears as well as date system within the 304 part engine have been entirely modified. The trademark sapphire domes have been perfectly machined on both sides (no mean feat!) so as not deform the numbers and even more amazingly the aluminium domes within weigh just a meager 0.58g which was achieved by machining them down to a thickness of 0.28mm. Only 32 of these special movements will be crafted this year: a limited edition of 12 pieces in black titanium (with green gold rotor) and 20 pieces of a non-limited titanium version (with blue gold rotor).
Although we could go on about this amazing new piece all day we thought you would probably prefer to hear it straight from the man himself, Mr Maximilian Büsser. So we asked him.
Here’s what he had to say.
TWL: What made you choose a Frog as the inspiration for this latest piece? Why not a Tiger or a Cobra, or some other member of the Animal Kingdom?
MB: The creative process did not in fact start with a frog. Like most of our creations, I imagined the piece in my mind first as a “concept piece”, in this case based on the HM3 movement. The idea was, and I know this will seem more than a little surprising, to create a “whacky” version of the HM3. Many will think “isn’t the HM3 crazy enough?”. In my mind, the HM3 is in fact a very elegant piece, and I wanted to push it into another territory.
It is only when we finished the design with Eric (Giroud) that when I looked at it, it was clear that it looked like a frog’s head coming out of water with its two big eyes. Now over a year later, when I look at it, it makes me think of the Martian heads in “Mars Attacks”!
HM3 Frog (Titanium) ©MB&F
TWL: How many different design concepts did you come up with in conjunction with the ‘Friends’ before you settled on the final one we see today? How did you decide?
MB: This was pretty straight forward. The HM3 existed. I wanted a rotating dome version, and we nailed the design very quickly – but to get the proportions of the aluminium and sapphire domes right we did many prototypes…
TWL: Does the final piece look anything like what you first envisioned in your mind when you set out to create this unique model?
MB: That is it. As it was in my head.
TWL: What is your favorite aspect of this new piece and why?
MB: It makes me smile each time I look at it. The Frog has a very mischievous attitude to it. Also it is super light thanks to the intensive use of aluminium. You practically do not feel it on your wrist.
TWL: What do you think MB&F enthusiasts will like most about this newest addition?
MB: I honestly don’t know. As we create foremost for ourselves, our public’s reaction is always a mystery and a surprise!
The HM3 Frog Engine – 304 components ©MB&F
TWL: Are there any little intricacies you can point out for us that may not be immediately apparent just from looking at the still photographs?
MB: Well, first of all, more than 30% of the movement is different from the original HM3! The Hours run in 12 hours instead of 24, the minutes in 60 minutes instead of 120 minutes, which therefore required us to change all those gear trains. Also the changing of the date which was direct (as the hours turned previously in 24hours on the HM3) is now much more complicated to achieve. All this for only 32 movements this year… (13 Black and 20 Titanium)
The aluminium domes needed to be as light as possible, which meant we had to machine them down to 0,28mm thick and therefore to 0,58 grams a piece! And the sapphire domes were a headache. How do you machine a perfectly concentric dome from a block of sapphire, especially as there is no way to hold that block in the machine when you are cutting it…?
TWL: Are there any plans to release any further special editions prior to the introduction of the highly anticipated HM No.4 in July 2010?
MB: The HM4 will theoretically be unveiled on July 8th (with deliveries anticipated for last quarter of the year), so in the two months from now to beginning of July, we have not planned a new launch!
TWL: As always, thank you for your time Maximilian.
MB: As always a pleasure. Thanks Tom!
Exclusivité : Max Büsser de MB&F nous parle de la dernière HM3 « Frog » !
HM3 Black Frog (Titanium noir) – édition limitée à 12 pièces ©MB&F
Vous vous souviendrez peut-être que nous avons publié il y a quelques semaines la toute première et unique photo de la dernière création MB&F, tout simplement appelée la « Grenouille ». Aujourd’hui nous sommes fiers de pouvoir vous montrer les photos officielles de cette pièce hors du commun, dévoilée très récemment.
Reposant sur la base de la Hm No.3, les moteurs des heures, des minutes, comme celui de la date ont été entièrement modifiés au sein de cette machine de 304 composants. Les dômes de saphir, brevetés, ont été parfaitement usinés des deux côtés (un défi!) de manière à ne pas déformer les chiffres ; de plus, ces incroyables dômes d’aluminium ne pèsent que 58g grâce à un travail sur le verre qui a permis d’en réduire l’épaisseur à 0,28 mm. Seulement 32 pièces de ce mouvement spécial seront produites cette année : une édition limitée de 12 pièces en titanium noir avec rotor en or vert, et 20 pièces d’une série limitée en titanium avec rotor en or bleu.
Bien que nous aurions pu vous parler une journée entière de cette pièce extraordinaire, nous avons pensé que vous préfèreriez entendre son histoire de la bouche de l’homme en personne, M. Maximilan Büsser !
TWL: Pourquoi avoir choisi la Grenouille comme inspiration pour cette création ? Vous auriez pu choisir tout autre créature du règne animal, comme le cobra ou le tigre…
MB: En réalité, le processus créatif n’a pas débuté avec l’idée d’une grenouille. Comme pour toutes nos créations, j’ai d’abord imaginé la pièce dans mon esprit, en tant que concept, en l’occurrence sur la base du mouvement de la HM3. L’idée était, aussi curieux que cela puisse paraître, de créer une version encore plus extravagante de la HM3. Beaucoup se demanderont à ce stade en quoi l’on pouvait faire encore plus atypique que la HM3 ! Mais dans mon esprit, c’était davantage une pièce d’élégance, que je voulais faire évoluer vers d’autres territoires.
Ce n’est que lorsque nous avions fini le design avec Eric (Giroud) que je l’ai regardée, et qu’il m’est clairement apparu qu’elle ressemblait à une grenouille dont la tête sortait de l’eau, avec ses deux gros yeux. Bon, aujourd’hui, plus d’un an plus tard, elle me fait davantage penser aux têtes de martiens dans « Mars attack » !
HM3 Frog (Titanium) ©MB&F
TWL: Combien de concepts avez-vous développé avec vos Amis avant d’en arriver au produit fini que nous voyons aujourd’hui ?
Ca a été assez rapide. La HM3 existait déjà. Je voulais une version avec dôme rotatif, et nous avons fixé le design assez rapidement ; toutefois, pour obtenir les bonnes proportions entre l’aluminium et les dômes de saphir, de nombreux prototypes furent nécessaires…
TWL: La pièce finale ressemble-t-elle à celle que vous aviez imaginée ?
MB: Oui. Telle que je l’avais pensée.
TWL: Qu’est-ce qui vous plaît le plus, dans celle pièce ?
MB: Elle me fait sourire à chaque fois que je la vois. La Frog a vraiment quelque chose de malicieux. En plus, elle est vraiment très légère, grâce à l’emploi important de l’aluminium. On ne la sent pratiquement pas sur son poignet.
TWL: A votre avis, qu’est-ce qui va le plus plaire aux aficionados de la marque ?
MB: Très honnêtement, je ne sais pas. Comme nous créons à peu de choses près pour notre propre plaisir, les réactions de notre public sont toujours source de mystère et de surprise !
Le moteur de la HM3 Frog – 304 composants ©MB&F
TWL: Y’a-t-il des éléments sur lesquels vous pourriez attirer notre attention et qui ne seraient pas visibles au premier coup d’œil ?
MB: Eh bien, en premier lieu, plus de 30% du mouvement sont différents de son modèle d’origine, la HM3 ! Les heures tournent en 12 heures au lieu de 24 et les minutes en 60 au lieu de 120, ce qui nous a demandé de changer tous les barillets des moteurs. Il y a aussi le changement de date, qui était direct (puisque précédemment les heures tournaient en 24h sur la HM3), et qui maintenant est beaucoup plus compliqué à mettre en œuvre. Et tout ceci seulement pour 32 pièces produites cette année, 13 noires et 20 en titane.
Les dômes d’aluminium devaient être aussi légers que possible, ce qui nous a conduit à réduire leur épaisseur à 0,28 mm, et par conséquent leur poids à 0,58 g par unité. Leur réalisation en verre saphir fut vraiment problématique. Comment voulez-vous usiner un dôme parfaitement concentrique issu d’un bloc de verre saphir sans avoir la possibilité de le maintenir dans une machine pendant que vous le taillez… ?
TWL: Avez-vous planifié la sortie de nouvelles séries limitées d’ici la sortie très attendue de la HM No.4 en juillet 2010 ?
MB: La HM4 est théoriquement le 8 juillet, ce qui nous amène à des premières livraisons au quatrième trimestre de l’année ; par conséquent, dans les deux mois qui nous séparent de début juillet, non, nous n’avons pas planifié de nouvelles sorties !
TWL: Une nouvelle fois, un grand merci pour votre temps, Maximilian.
MB: C’est toujours un plaisir. Merci Tom !
Traduit de l’anglais par Olivier Müller – © The Watch Lounge
GMT Italia – Home To Some Of The World’s Most Amazing Timepieces
It is not often that you come across an authorized retailer that deals in some of the most exclusive timepieces in the world. That’s why we felt obliged to share something extra special with you today. Based in Milan, Italy, with another store in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, the Grand Masters of Time is Italy’s answer to France’s Chronopassion.
Established in 2007 the focus of this young company is to bring together some of the most exclusive and innovative names in Swiss watch-making, working closely with the brands to offer their clients a selection of some of the finest timepieces ever made.
Don’t just take our word for it though, see below for a selection of some of the current rare and limited edition pieces they currently have on offer within their stunning boutiques.
F.P. Journe – Centigraphe Souverain
© GMT Italia
MB&F – Horological Machine 2 – White Ceramic (L.E. 5 pieces for the World)
© GMT Italia
Harry Winston – Ocean Chrono Tri-Retrograde Baguette (L.E. 5 pieces for the world)
© GMT Italia
Richard Mille – RM 008 Tourbillon Split Second Chronograph
© GMT Italia
Harry Winston – Project Zalium Lady Z (L.E. 300 pieces for the World)
© GMT Italia
Urwerk 202 – Turbine Automatic Black Platinum (L.E. 10 pieces for the World)
© GMT Italia
Harry Winston – Project Zalium Z5 (L.E. 150 pieces for the World)
© GMT Italia
These are just a small selection of some of the truly amazing pieces that GMT have brought together in their two exceptional stores. Certainly for any watch enthusiast who finds themselves in the vicinity of either one a visit is all but mandatory.
If you would like to know more check out the GMT website: www.gmtitalia.com
Weird Watch Wednesday: Chanel and High Watchmaking? Oui
In the business of haute couture, Chanel is an indisputable leader known for trendsetting designs using the finest materials and expert craftsmanship. Credited with introducing the little black dress and tweed skirt to high society, the house of Chanel certainly knows how to put together an outfit for any occasion. However, haute horlogerie demands more than just superb looks and fine materials.
Would dear Coco Chanel, the grande dame of sartorial style, trust the creation of one of her hats or signature scents to a five star chef or Formula 1 driver? Je ne pense pas.
The Expert Touch
I say leave the high watchmaking to the qualified professionals. Otherwise, your timepieces won’t even rank an upturned nose from connoisseurs. Apparently, Chanel took that advice. They partnered with renowned complications master Giulio Papi of Renaud and Papi (which is part of Audemars Piguet), on a movement for its J12 collection in 2008.
The J12 models had already made a splash for their fresh use of high-tech ceramic in the case and bracelet. The upgrade to thoroughbred mechanics with the J12 Calibre 3125, based upon Audemars Piguet’s 3120 movement, allowed aficionados of design and horology to stand shoulder to shoulder in appreciation.
Once again enlisting the talents of Renaud and Papi, Chanel expands the J12 line to include the Rétrograde Mystérieuse, a clever integration of the playful retrograde function that would make Coco herself cock an appreciative eyebrow.
The manual winding calibre RMT-10, developed by Renaud and Papi exclusively for Chanel in celebration of the J12’s 10th anniversary, contains a power reserve of 10 days when fully wound. The Rétrograde Mystérieuse mechanism is a delight to see in action that needs to be seen to be believed!
There’s a wonderful symbolism of playing with time as the retrograde function kicks in when the long minutes hand hits the obstacle of the retractable crown, located at 3 o’clock. While the minutes hand reverses its trajectory to swing counterclockwise round to the 4 o’clock position, an aperture at 6 o’clock marks off the minutes from 11 to 19, at which time the retrograde hand has finished its journey and picks up the minutes again at 20.
I would’ve preferred the timepiece without the tourbillon function, though the choice to place it opposite the retractable crown at 9 o’clock works aesthetically. Sometimes I think that the newer players to haute horlogerie feel they must introduce a tourbillon function to be taken seriously. With practically every company featuring one in their high-end watches, I’m a bit fatigued by the complication.
The Final Word
The design of the Rétrograde Mystérieuse and the execution of the retrograde function is enough to capture my attention. In a certain way, the tourbillon seems unnecessary here, like adding a bow to an already lovely cocktail dress. Nonetheless, I’m willing to forgive in this instance and recommend Chanel release a version without the tourbillon.
Limited to an edition of 10 in both 18k pink and white gold, the Rétrograde Mystérieuse is a blend of advanced technology and Chanel’s trademark elegant sophistication that definitely earns them a seat at the haute horlogerie table.
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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!