Posts Tagged ‘weird’
Weird Watch Wednesday: Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique Grey Sapphire
Undeniably 2009 has been a very innovative and successful year over at Corum. The brand launched their second in-house movement and a number of novelties, including the very unique Ti-Bridge series. So it is fitting then that one of their latest creations is the focal point for our last Weird Watch Wednesday entry for 2009, a category that celebrates the unusual, the innovative and the downright crazy!
A Clear Work Of Genius
Since 2007 a key characteristic of Corum novelties has been the reinterpretation of transparency. The Ti-Bridge series is an excellent example of this as it has no dial to speak of. Thanks to its clever design when you look through the front of the watch, all you see is the movement, the hour and minutes hands, the bottom plates and the triangle casing clamps.
Well now the brand has stepped up this creativity and craftsmanship to another level again, with the creation of the Golden Tourbillon Panoramique with grey PVD coated sapphire crystals.
First introduced in 2007 this latest incarnation of the Golden Tourbillon Panoramique is deceptively complex. Even at first glance the level of difficulty involved in constructing a piece of this caliber is immediately obvious. However, what makes this timepiece truly special is the fact that the mainplate and the three bridges are made of sapphire crystal, a very delicate and brittle material.
The level of expertise and precision required in the fabrication and shaping of synthetic sapphire crystal is immense and the high probability of breakage during the manufacturing stage makes this an extremely time consuming process. Thus it is important to take this into consideration in order to appreciate the exceptional level of craftsmanship involved in the creation of this watch.
As a result a truly unique visual effect is created by the slightly grey color of the sapphire crystal, which partly reveals the mystery of the conception and accentuates the strength of the timepiece. This stunning piece of aesthetic trickery is almost overpowered, however, by the 309 diamonds set in the white gold Tonneau-shaped case that surrounds the movement.
This is truly a dedication to decadence.
In Full View
The movement is a mechanical hand-wound Corum 382 based upon LaJoux Perret 7951 and features a tourbillion complication. Beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour the timepiece offers an impressive 90 hour power reserve when fully wound. Each movement is assembled and adjusted over a period of three weeks, before being cased up and comprised of 168 individual parts. To ensure the wearer can fully appreciate the mechanical complexity of this piece four sapphire crystal glasses offer the maximum view of this stunning movement.
Given the high-level of complexity involved in the creation of these pieces they are only available in a Limited Edition of 5 pieces.
The Final Word
The Golden Tourbillon Panoramique with grey PVD coated sapphire crystals is indicative of what can be achieved when money is no barrier. Yes it is unusual for a manufacturer to produce a limited run of only 5 watches but at the same time it is very exciting to see that even the bigger brands have not lost sight of the true watchmaking spirit of innovation and creativity. Sure this piece is not practical and the price tag is likely to rival that of a Super Car but that’s not the point. It’s an expression of artistic vision and craftsmanship to the highest degree possible and for that, I say thank you.
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Weird Watch Wednesday: BR 01-92 Radar
Bell & Ross is starting to become a bit of a favorite when it comes to Weird Watch Wednesdays. A couple of weeks ago we told you about the BR01-94 Carbon Fiber Chronograph, made from a single block of carbon fibre. This week we’re going even more stealth, if that’s possible! Designed for the hardcore naval and military enthusiasts out there, the aptly named BR 01-92 Radar looks like exactly that. A Radar.
Breaking With Convention
I really have to hand it to the creative guys over at Bell & Ross, they never seem to run out of ideas when it comes to ‘re-imagining’ their classic lines. First shown at Basel World 2009, the Radar model uses the standard black BR01 case and a very clever dial design to create a very cool and distinctive looking watch.
The unique circular radar display uses colored radial lines, thus giving the illusion that the rotating hour and minute hands are scanning for blips. Based on the above picture I am guessing that the inner ring is the seconds indicator, the middle ring is minutes and the outer ring is the hours, however, I am not 100% sure.
I have to say I really like the selection of bright colors which provide a stunning contrast against the darkness of the dial and case, although it is not overbearing in any way.
The BR01-92 Radar is limited to a production of only 500 pieces worldwide.
The Final Word
I have to say this is probably one of the coolest variations of the classic BR01-92 model I’ve seen so far. Admittedly the watch is quite unconventional and it will probably take a little time to get used to reading the time but it is definitely eye-catching and I imagine mesmerizing to watch in action.
Maybe not an every day watch but definitely worth a second look!
Weird Watch Wednesday: The Perpetual Flying Tourbillon
I’ve selected this week’s watch to demonstrate the value of equipping yourself with the right knowledge before you go out and make that all important purchase. In the course of my daily travels across the internet I chanced across this rather innocuous company that purports to offer what is renowned as highly complex, and therefore expensive, complication for a seemingly impossible price.
As near as I can tell the company is called Perpetual and they produce watches complete with an exhibition flying tourbillon complication. I almost forgot to mention, these watches retail for less than US$1,000.
If this doesn’t even sound slightly ridiculous to you than you owe it to yourself to read on!
The Flying Tourbillon
You may recall that last week’s “Weird Watch Wednesday” feature watch was also equipped with a variation of the humble tourbillon created by Louis Breguet. As such, I won’t go into too much detail about the history of the tourbillon again. Essentially what you need to know is that rather than being supported by a bridge, or cock, at both the top and bottom, it is cantilevered, being only supported from one side. Whilst there is no real technical advantage to this, the visual appeal of the flying tourbillon in motion is simply stunning.
Some of the more famous brands to incoporate flying tourbillons are Cartier with their Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon, Ulysse Nardin with their “Royal Blue” Mystery Tourbillon and more recently Glashütte with the Original Senator Meissen Tourbillon. The point I am trying to illustrate here is that such is the complexity of the Flying Tourbillon complication that generally speaking it is only ever attempted by and limited to master watchmakers. And this is adequately reflected in the prices, which generally start from six figures and up.
The Perpetual “Flying Tourbillon”
Thus this brings us to the supposed “Flying Tourbillon” models from Perpetual. I think it should be fairly clear by this stage based on what we’ve just learnt above, that these watches should not be taken at face value. Just looking at the finishing on the dial above it seems abundantly obvious to me that this manufacturer certainly does not have the skills required to produce a complication as technically advanced as the flying tourbillon.
The website tries to compensate for this by saying that watch movements are purchased directly from a “first class specialist movement maker”, although no indication is actually given to the location or merit of this particular producer. Confusingly though, the site then goes on to say that design, assembly and most importantly, fine-tuning of the movements and other parts is carried out by their own experienced watchmakers.
But didn’t they just say they buy their watch movements from a third party?
The list of discrepancies goes on and on and this is yet another excellent example of the type of “genuine fakes” we discussed in our two-part special on counterfeit watches. Its not a replica as such, as it is not a cheap re-production of another watch, rather it is holding itself out to be a genuine, stand-alone brand. The site even features a nice video to show the movement in action!
The Final Word
I am certainly no expert on high-end watch complications and there are plenty of people out there who are far more qualified than I to pass judgment on these timepieces (perhaps they would care to comment?) but this seems like a very clear cut case to me. Quite simply put, you get what you pay for. The above is not a genuine flying tourbillon complication and quite frankly, to purchase and wear this watch would be a crime against good taste.
Hopefully you have learnt something from reading this article and perhaps will think twice the next time you see that “luxury timepiece” on the internet for next to nix!
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