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.

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!

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!

This week’s watch is unique for a rather obvious reason: the case is manufactured entirely from a single block of carbon fiber. In fact, pretty much the whole thing is carbon fiber, which certainly makes for an interesting look, to say the least. Who would do such a thing you ask? The enterprising fellows over at Bell & Ross of course, with yet another variation of the now notorious BR01 Instrument. Still, this one does stay far truer to the heritage of B&R  than other models the brand has released.

Lightweight and Practical
As you would expect from a watch made almost entirely from carbon fiber the BR01-94 Carbon Fiber Chronograph is exceptionally lightweight as well as remarkably strong. As such it is excellent candidate for military personnel and other highly active outdoors people who require a good tool watch. The 46mm diameter and chronograph function further add to its credentials as a watch designed for action.

Keeping the theme consistent the dial and strap are also made of carbon fiber, with the indices, numbers and hands covered in a lume to ensure high visibility even in the darkest corners of the planet. Don’t despair though if you spend all your time out in the sun as the flat sapphire crystal has also been given the anti-reflective treatment, making it easy to read in all conditions.

Although the watch has a screw-in crown, the main detractor in my mind is the limited water resistance of only 100m, which could really limit the usability of this piece.

Stable Power
Powering the watch is an uninspired but nonetheless reliable ETA 2894 mechanical self-winding chronograph movement. It features hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph counters that display 12 hours, 30 minutes and 60 seconds. No doubt if this model does well, we may see other variations with functions like dual time zone, etc.

The watch is limited to 500 pieces worldwide and pricing is yet to be announced.

The Final Word
My views on Bell & Ross’s continued variations on the same theme are pretty well documented, however, I think the new BR01-94 Carbon Fiber Chronograph will be well received by hardcore B&R enthusiasts. Namely because it is a practical tool watch which will actually offer the wearer some benefits, other than just expensive wrist candy.

Although I would like to see the guys over at B&R introduce something new for a change, as variations go this one is not too bad at all.

This week’s article is not about a watch per se but instead a rather unique marketing concept thought up by those infamous Japanese pioneers, Seiko. You may recall a few months ago that we let you know about a competition called “How Much Do You Love Your Seiko?” Essentially this was an online video contest that would give Seiko owners around the world the opportunity to showcase just how important their Seiko watch is to them with the lucky winner receiving an automatic chronograph worth $3,200 from the brand’s new “Ananta” collection.

And The Winner Is…
Well, at the end of last month the results were announced and the winning video from Mr Badrun Nafis from Singapore has been released. To say that Mr Nafis is a Seiko enthusiast would be a gross understatement and so it seems fitting that he should win the competition. His video depicts the different Seiko timepieces he owns and the travels he’s taken them on.

Check out his winning entry below:

In an email interview with Seiko, Mr Nafis conveyed his sentiments about winning the competition; “I’ve always been a huge fan of SEIKO and have over 30 of their timepieces that I’ve collected from around the world over the last 4 years. I’ve had my eye on Ananta since I first heard about its launch and I’m really thrilled to have won one.”

Speaking on the success of the competition Shu Yoshino, General Manager of SEIKO Watch Corporation’s Public Relations and Advertising department, said “We wanted to give SEIKO fans around the world the opportunity to tell their unique stories about their watches, and reward the best one with a luxury timepiece as our way of saying thank you for their loyalty and support over our 128-year history.” He added, “We received numerous submissions and we enjoyed watching them as many of the videos were really good. Our customers have played an invaluable part in helping the company grow and improve to become a master of every technology that matters to the creation of great timepieces.”

The company has also created a mash-up of some of the best submissions, which you can check out below:

The Final Word
Whilst not strictly about one watch, the Seiko contest provided a fantastic avenue for their customers around the world to really share the enthusiasm they have for their pieces. Sure some people may consider this level of dedication to a manufacturer a little unusual but hey that’s what Weird Watch Wednesdays is all about! Finding the innovators who aren’t afraid to doing something a little different, be it through watch design, level of complexity, marketing, and so forth.

So thank you Seiko, for allowing your customers to share their enthusiasm for your brand and for continuing to promote innovation within the industry.

As a longtime fan of all things Parmigiani, I have always taken extra effort to follow the brand, and have been lucky enough to see its watches in person on two occasions. Independently owned and fiercely innovative, Parmigiani have spared no expense to secure itself and its reputation as a true Manufacture. The brand offers simple hand wound watches as well as exceptionally complex pieces.

In order to secure a position at the apex of Haute Horlogerie, Parmigiani have taken two major steps to become vertically integrated and to achieve high standards of quality in its products. In 2000, the company purchased a micro-mechanical engineering company and then spent the next five years setting it up.

The result is the ability of the company to produce its own complete Swiss Lever escapements. The escapement is the regulating organ of a mechanical watch, and is thus responsible for a watch’s timekeeping. The ‘tics and tocs’, so to speak, of a mechanical watch are due to the actions of the escapement.

In 2005, the company created its own criterion for performance and quality in its watches, called the Fleurier Quality Foundation. Parmigiani watches are subjected to many exhaustive tests with the end result always producing outstanding quality!

The Toric Tourbillon is without question a supreme aesthetic achievement. In production since at least as far back as 2004 and currently in production in different permutations, my favorite is pf000383 which is cased in rose gold. The case is 40mm in diameter which in humble opinion is just right! The hands are heat blued steel and the hour and minute hands are in the Javelot style. Bluing steel hands is its own specialty and to achieve the correct consistent color is a challenge. The result in this case is beyond compare. The movement is calibre 121/2, which is wound by hand and is capable of running for 75 hours between windings.

An even more complex variation, the Toric Westminister (above) was designed to reproduce the movement and chime of the famous Westminster Abbey clock – on a much smaller scale, of course!

Known as one of the most difficult complications in Haute Horlogerie, the tourbillon is actually a form of escapement. In a tourbillon, the entire escapement of the watch is itself held inside a “cage” and connected to the rest of the watch in such a way so as to allow the cage to revolve while the watch is in operation. In theory this revolving escapement will mitigate gravity’s influence on the watch and allow it to be more accurate.

Theory is theory and in practice it takes huge amounts of time and effort to produce such a mechanism and it takes even more effort to optimize its performance. As such, in today’s world, the tourbillon is usually not that much more functional in terms of accuracy than other more conventional designs!

In this case, the tourbillon is so pleasing to view in operation, and the overall timepiece is so well finished I feel it is without equal among tourbillons. In fact, this watch does without a dial completely, using indexes on the inner bezel to aid in reading off the time. The level of hand finishing required to make such a watch is top notch, and the end result is breathtaking!!

So, why then is this a weird watch? For some bizarre reason it seems to fly under the radar of collectors of tourbillons whereas in reality it should be the first one they acquire!

This week’s watch provides us with an excellent example of taking things one step too far. Or in the case of the Concord C1 Quantum Gravity, several steps too far. I am a huge supporter of pushing boundaries in high-end watch design and challenging conventional thinking, especially when it is done successfully. Think MB&F’s HM No.2.2 or Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps’ Sequential One. However, to me the C1 Quantum Gravity is the answer to a question no one asked.

Defying Gravity (And Good Taste)
Before I launch any further into this article I just want to clarify that I do not in anyway dispute the technical genius involved in the creation of this timepiece. The concept of itself is truly unique and ambitious to say the least. Designed to be provocative and defiant, this new species of watch supposedly lives time as if it were an experiment, a source of stimulation. The question is, who is Concord defying? Good taste perhaps?

As advanced and complex as this piece is, the simple fact is that I would not wear it. It is large, unattractive and seems as though it has had as many high-end complications shoved in, excuse my crassness, wherever they will fit. Yes, it does feature a ground-breaking aerial bi-axial tourbillon mechanism and a vertical power reserve but I ask you, what is brains without beauty?

I would put forth the argument here (and please if you disagree do tell me below in the comments section) that the C1 Quantum Gravity has committed the cardinal sin of forsaking design and aesthetics in the name of technical complexity. Watch making is a form of artwork as much as it is a form of engineering, the two must be married and blended together as one to form a finished piece of mechanically brilliant art. You simply cannot have one without the other.

The Final Word
It is undeniable that the C1 Quantum Gravity has crossed over into a new realm of watch making altogether and perhaps this is where my issue lays. Maybe the fault is not with the visionaries at the C Lab Series but rather with me, as a purist watch lover. Maybe I have not yet evolved to a point where I am ready, nay capable of accepting and understanding this piece. Or maybe the C1 Quantum Gravity has just moved too far away from the roots of traditional watch making to be considered in the same category of other high-end horological masterpieces.

After all, boundaries can only be pushed so far before they are irreversibly broken.

This week’s ‘Weird Watch’ not only looks cool, it has also been designed to serve a higher purpose. To put it simply, the wn-2 watch from Japanese not-for-profit organization Think The Earth is out of this world! Why you ask? Well you’re just going to have to read on to find out.

View From The Top
There are a lot of things that make the wn-2 watch unique, not least of which is the design. Where you would normally find a nice flat dial instead there is a tiny replica of the Earth that rotates in the same direction and at the same speed as the real thing.

I know all you techie types out there will probably not be satisfied with the above description so here is a bit more detail. The small globe under the glass dome makes one revolution every twenty four hours. The globe rotates slowly counter-clockwise, imitating our view of the Northern Hemisphere from space (hence the name “watch Northern Hemisphere).

Now for the really amazing part. The innovative minds that designed this piece created there representation of the Earth at a scale of 1:580 millionth of the real thing. As a result, this translates into the distance between the wearer’s eyes and their wrist equating to approximately 380,000km, the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Are you starting to get the picture?

The thinking is that by giving the wearer a view similar to that seen from orbit they will begin to put things in perspective and consider the world around them and their impact on the planet as a whole, as opposed to just their individual existence. As they say, sometimes you need to take step back to see the bigger picture.

Does It Tell The Time Too?
It certainly does! The watch has two luminous indicators, a needle shaped hour hand and a smaller orange round minutes hand which allow the wearer to set the watch to any of 24 worldwide time zones.

As you would expect from a watch manufactured in Japan it is powered by a Seiko quartz movement and is water resistant up to 100 meters (pretty standard really.) It comes with two bezels, one plain silver or blue and the other shaded to represent night or day hours.

Continuing the theme of thinking about the environment we live in the packaging can be reconfigured to form the base for a desktop clock if you want to remove the core piece and display it your home or office. Desktop calendar covers are also available for download.

Priced at around US$800, the wn-2 watch is available to order from Think The Earth.

The Final Word
More than anything I love this watch for the concept it represents. Yes it is pricey and probably fairly impractical to a degree but even just by reading this article maybe this watch has indirectly inspired you to think a little bit more about your impact on the planet you live on. Plus it looks great and I’m fairly certain you aren’t going to see to many other people wearing one.

Which is a bit of a shame really.

This week’s watch is not only weird, but in my opinion it’s also useless. Its called the StressWatch and as the name suggests indicates the wearer’s level of stress. Which brings me to my next point. It doesn’t even tell the time, which in my book means that it fails the definition of a watch, therefore I will refer to it as the Stress ‘Bracelet’. On the up side it does come equipped with a colorful display to illustrate your real time stress levels.

How Does It Work?
I’ll begrudgingly admit that the technical functionality of the ‘bracelet’ is actually pretty cool. Effectively it reports the real-time biofeedback of several body functions including heart rate and the body`s temperature and displays them in a (presumably) meaningful manner.

However, it doesn’t stop there. Creators Michael Mathis and Gerda Hopfgartner have developed what they call ‘guidelines for relaxation’ which are designed to help the wearer identify and reduce their stress levels. Here’s how:

The guidelines are the well-being waves, visualized on the display, the stress line, displayed on the black bar graph, as well as the heart rate and the body`s temperature, located into the clock face. If the display shows sprinted waves kept in warm colors, and the stress line is completely full, you need to change your breathing and your focus. As you slow down your breathing and find your optimal breathing rate, you will literally see a change of the graphic chart. So the alarming well-being waves transform into smooth one with cool colors and the stress line decreases back to the relaxing indication.

Right.

The Final Word
Ask yourself this, do you really need a watch or bracelet or whatever you want to call it to tell you when you’re stressed? The simple answer is no. As a competent human being you are more than capable of determining if you’re feeling a bit worked up, so here’s a tip on how to resolve it.

Stop, take a deep breath and cast your mind back to when you read this article and saved yourself a few hundred dollars by not buying the StressWatch. There, feeling better already!

This week’s watch is a bit of a contradiction. On the one hand its sort of cool but on the other hand its sort of, well…not. As the name suggests the concept is to illustrate the change of twilight from dark to light as the sun slowly fades away. This is the theory anyway.

How Does It Work?
The face of the watch slowly fades from light to back over the course of the passage of time across the face, changing approximately every 20 seconds or so. To create this rather unique effect the dial has two polarized disks that rotate throughout the day do darken and lighten the dial. You can see this process in action in the below video:

The case is rather small at 36mm and is made of brushed stainless steel, with a stainless steel case back. Fitted with a soft black leather there are no visible lugs creating a seamless connection from strap to case.

The Final Word
As far as novelty watches go this one is not too bad and is certainly rather unique. Its probably a bit small to be worn by an adult but would make a cool gift for a child and could perhaps even be slightly educational. Perhaps.

Available from ThinkGeek for $119.