Wow Watch Wednesday: The Soprano by Christophe Claret

Question: What do you do when you have state of the art facilities and a highly trained team of exceptionally innovative individuals at your disposal? Well, if you’re Christophe Claret you make stunningly complex pieces of haute horology that dazzle and amaze of course!

Case in point the breathtaking new Soprano timepiece, featuring no less than a musically accurate 4-note minute repeater that strikes Westminster Quarters on patented cathedral gongs, a 60-second tourbillon and Charles X style bridges.  Need I go on? I think we both know you want one already! For the sake of posterity I will continue however, plus I genuinely enjoy talking about this superb example of micro-manufacturing ingenuity.

Celebrating Innovation
According to the brand the Soprano is of particular significance as it pays homage to the roots of Christophe Claret the manufacturer, in particular their innovative work in the areas of striking complications, tourbillons and sapphire components. In fact Claret claims to be the first manufacturer to incorporate sapphire components – comprising plates and Charles X style bridges − in a wristwatch movement all the way back in 1997.

What I find really fascinating about this particular timepiece however is how it manages to successfully blend cutting edge design and technology with centuries old techniques and complications, such as the minute repeater and tourbillon. There’s no denying that the Soprano is very modern looking from an aesthetic standpoint, almost futuristic even, and yet it somehow manages to retain a sense of tradition through adherence to time-honored practices.

The dial has been completely open-worked to minimize barriers to the sound of the Westminster chimes and allows for unencumbered views of both the tourbillion as well as the striking mechanism of the Minute Repeater. I won’t go into all the technical detail about how everything works however I have included the full technical specifications at the end for those who are interested. Suffice to say though this is yet another fine example from Claret that shows once again why his company is the trusted name behind many of the industries most complicated creations.

The Soprano is being offered in two limited editions of just eight pieces each, in your choice of either rose gold or white gold. With the white gold versions you have the further choice of blue or ruby hands and corresponding highlights. The price tag for both, as expected, is quite high (some may even say astronomical) with the red gold version priced at 468,000CHF (approx. US$500,000) and the white gold versions priced at 476,000CHF (approx. US$508,000.)

And for those lucky enough to be attending, you can view the entire Christophe Claret collection at SalonQP in November!

The Final Word
Once again Claret shows us why he is a titan of the industry, renowned for both his expertise and his execution. As with all his creations the Soprano is destined for the enjoyment of only the very few (and very wealthy) however I think watch enthusiasts and aficionados the world over can still appreciate the sheer magnificence of these mechanical, even if they can never hope to own themselves – I know I do!

For more information on Christophe Claret please visit the brand’s official website: www.christopheclaret.com. And as promised, please see below for all the Soprano’s technical specifications.

Technical data

CALIBRE TRD98:

Dimensions:

-     27.6 x 46.4 x 8.45 mm

Number of parts:

-     450

Number of jewels:

-      39

Power reserve:

-       72 hours (approx.)

Barrel:

-       Single mainspring barrel in transparent sapphire crystal

Tourbillon:

-       Escapement: Swiss lever type

-       Oscillation frequency of the balance: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)

-       Tourbillon rotation 60 seconds

-       Flying tourbillon

-       Charles X style stepped bridge

-       Parachute shock protection

Functions:

-       Hours and minutes

-       4-note minute repeater playing Westminster Quarters

-       Mechanical, hand-wound movement

-       Transparent mainspring barrel acts as movement state-of-wind indicator: when the movement is fully wound the spring is centered in the barrel

Distinctive features:

-       Four visible hammers, four patented cathedral gongs

-       Repeater mechanism features silent inertia governor

-       Tourbillon regulator with parachute shock absorber

-       Charles X style stepped bridges

Exterior:

Case:

-       Round

-       Dimensions: 45mm x 56.80mm x 15.32mm

-       Water resistance: 3 ATM  / 30 m / 100 ft

Material:

-       5N red gold and anthracite PVD titanium / Anthracite PVD and black spinal hands. Limited edition of 8 pieces

-       White gold and anthracite PVD titanium / Black PVD and ruby or blue spinal hands. Limited edition of 8 pieces

Slide:

-       Repeater mechanism is activated by a slide on the left side of the caseband

Crown:

-        Red gold and titanium (red gold case) or white gold and titanium (white gold case)

Strap:

-         Black hand-sewn alligator leather with black stitching (red gold case), red or blue stitching (white gold case)

Buckle:

-         Red gold and titanium (red gold case) or white gold and titanium (white gold case)

Tags: Claret, complications, luxury, Minuter Repeater, Swiss Made, Tourbillon, watches

Category: SalonQP 2012, Wow Watch Wednesday