Weekend Sojourn: 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance with Rolex – Great Hood Ornaments!

Earlier this week I wrote about the Concours d’ Elegance and some of the most fantastic cars seen there. Today, while we on the US Eastern Seaboard await the wrath of Hurricane Irene, writing about storm watches — or watches that weather the storm — just doesn’t do it. Instead, Atimelyperspective brings you something more cheeful —  a few cool close-ups of some of the most alluring hood ornaments from the vintage, classic cars at the Concours. A few of them have their identifying logo with them, a few don’t. Can you guess what automobile maker a few of these ornaments match up with? What’s your favorite? My favorite is the crystal-cut Eagle head. Check these out….

 

 

Time Capsules: Rolex Extravaganza – Experience this Submariner

Between the Concours d’ Elegance, reported about just the other day, and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, coming up next – this is a Rolex extravaganza here at  Atimelyperspective – so why not throw  a great Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner into the mix.  

This Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date is crafted in stainless steel and is a COSC-certified chronometer. The bold iconic piece is pressure proof and water resistant up to 1,000 feet. The superlative piece is substantive on the wrist, looks and feels great and carries a relatively sporty price of $8,000.

 

Time Capsules: Best Men’s Watches just got Better – Urwerk Unveils UR-1001 Zeit Device

Urwerk – known for its bold timepieces, innovative stance and complex creativity – unveils the new Zeit Device (time device). This grand complication marks time in seconds, minutes, hours, date, month, years, 100 years and times for 1,000 years – with day/night indication.  The Urwerk Zeit Device accomplishes all of this via a host of non-conforming readouts such as orbiting satellites and retrograde indicators.  The dials, springs and retrograde spirals are all manufactured in house by Urwerk. Just 8 of these wonders are being made –all in AlTin (aluminum titanium nitride) treated steel with titanium elements. The dial features an hour satellite complication in a “flying“ design – with no top bridge supporting the carrousel. The hours are read off of satellites that rotate, and the minutes are offered in retrograde form. Similarly, the calendar functions of the months and the date are satellite and retrograde, and offer a harmonious appeal. This complication consists of a rotating central carrousel that supports the satellites. Each cube satellite is marked with the hour numbers (or the months) on its four sides.  AS the carrousel turns, the satellites rotate on their vertical axis so the top number (or month) indicates the current time (or month) and the bottom numbers (or months) lie ever ready to appear.  While the calendar satellite is visually the same as the hour satellite, there is a mechanical difference.  On the calendar satellite, the month automatically adjusts according to whether it is a 30 or 31 day month (or 28 days for February).

The retrograde minute hand (and the retrograde date) is fixed to a sprung ring around the circumference of the respective satellite complication and is pushed along the guide rail by the satellite. As the minute or date hand reaches the end of the rail, the star-cams trip over to release the hand, which springs back to zero at the start of the scale.  Hours and minute are able to be set backwards without affecting the calendar functions. The day/night indicator disk is marked with black SuperLuminova for night and white brushed ruthenium for day, and offers a striped mix for dawn/dusk.  The power reserve indicator monitors the power in the mainspring up to 39 hours.

The reverse side of the UR-1001 Zeit Device displays the movement, with the dominant feature being the underside of the hour satellite complication and the retrograde minute mechanism. There are also service light indicators for five years (which indicates after three years), 100 years and 1000 years.  (Let’s face it, none of us will be around to see if it makes it to 1,000 years, but no one questioned that when IWC came out with the 500 years timing on the DaVinci, either.) Urwerk also uses ARCAP, a non-magnetic alloy that is highly non-corrosive. In the UR-1001, the mainplate, baseplate, carrousels, satellites, dials, bridges, retrograde spiral spring and retrograde u-springs are all in ARCAP. The watch is sold in an automatic watch winder display case and retails for approximately $427,500.

Off the Cuff: Cartier Multi-Time Zone on the Wrist

Since its inception, the house of Cartier has been building the most exquisite jewels and, later, timepieces, to capture hearts and souls of women and men alike. The brand has long always focused on craftsmanship and innovation. For the past years, it has been a power-house in the realm of mechanical watchmaking, bringing its own in-house watch movement development to new heights and regularly unveiling new calibers in complications that make it a true contender in the world of high watchmaking.

Such is the case with this year’s Calibre de Cartier Multi-time zone (or Multifuseaux) watch. It was first unveiled in Geneva at the SIHH in January, but it was only recently that I got the opportunity to really have some time with this watch and to enjoy its beauty, its wonderfully cool new function, and its great ease of use. It is offered in 18-karat white or 18-karat rose gold, but I show it here in 18-karat rose gold. The watch, sleek yet bold, houses the 287-part Caliber 9909MC and offers home time, travel time, day/night indications, and –the unique new feature developed in house by Cartier — the difference between the two selected time zones.   Until now, no other watch has offered such a feature. It is amazingly easy to use; by pressing a pivoting pushpiece, the wearer can view a different time zone city on an integrated city disc with city names on the side of the watch. On the dial, the wearer can view the second time zone, the local time and the time difference between that home time and the local traveler time. It keeps the dial clean, well-balanced and easy to read thanks to an uncluttered appeal. The pushers are easy to maneuver and there is nothing tricky about the watch at all – except, of course, the mechanics that went into the design, development and the actual making of it! The 18-karat rose gold version with its dark gray dial retails is a very worldly watch to wear – making one feel quietly confident – for a smart price of $39,300.

Weekend Sojourn: SEAH® Astrological Watches Let you be you

When Rachel Levy conceived of the SEAH® (an ancient word for time) watches 7 years ago, she did so in the blackout wake of a hurricane that hit her home in Florida. She was looking for a way for people to reconnect with themselves and the universe after so much disconnect. When she first set out on her journey, she didn’t realize it would lead her to create a watch collection, and then a jewelry collection. In the process, she studied religion, cultures of the world, astrology and more. With the sale of each SEAH® watch, comes a booklet that describes the personal attributes of each astrological sign and gives a horoscope from SEAH®. Tomorrow, August 22 begins the time of Virgo, and the last month of summer.  Here is SEAH’s horoscope for Virgo.

Harvest time has arrived; earth’s garden has fully ripened.  As the seasons shift, summer to autumn, Virgo carefully tends to details.  Separating chaff from grain, Virgos have remarkable analytical abilities.  Virgo – you are the Organizer of the Zodiac.  Born with harvesting skills, you are practical, focused and productive.  With an eye for detail and diligent work, you can at times be overcritical and tend toward perfection.  A powerful and constructive mantra for you is ‘analyze rather than criticize’.  Sapphire is your birthstone, Mercury your planet, Earth your element.  Mercury’s feet touch ground in Virgo granting you the gift of practical expression and intellectual dexterity.  Through understanding the universal principals of Virgo you can best find a grounded relationship to time.  Allow your mind and hands daily expression.  As an earth sign, you have a strong attunement to your body; nourishment and movement are essential.  Dig your hands into the earth, plant an herb garden, savor life’s abundance of flavors.  You love pottery, crafts, designing environments and indulging in projects that satisfy your inherent productive urges.  Remember the small aspects of life are but pieces of a larger whole and find time to honor and enjoy the simple everyday moments of life.  Don’t be hard on yourself…and try to accept other people’s ideas. 

Time Capsules: Watch Finder — Frederique Constant Manufacture Tourbillon Grand Feu

Every once in a while a watch comes a long that you have to turn your head and look again because everything lines up so perfectly. That’s what Atimelyperspective calls a Watch Finder — and keeper – if you can get it – it’s a great watch with great value. The new Frederique Constant Manufacture Tourbillon Grand Feu is just such a watch, thanks to its great movement with patented system and its hand-enamel dial – this is a work of art and craftsmanship. A real beauty the watch is exceptional – the hand enamel dial is created by hand enameling the finely powdered colored glass to a metal plate and then firing each level and enameling it again and again in a kiln at a heat of more than 900 degrees Celsius. While the dial is a work of art, the inside of the watch is equally as attractive with its award-winning Heart Beat Manufacture Calibre developed by Frederique Constant. It features a silicium escapement wheel and lever, a Smart Weight balancing system, and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The silicium escapement wheel offers lubrication freedom and less friction.  The Smart Weight Balancing, developed by Frederique Constant, is designed for the tourbillon escapement to have equal distribution of weight amongst its 80 parts to run accurately. It accomplishes this with a patented “Smart Screw” system on the outer edge of the tourbillon cage, which is constructed with a slight over-weight opposite the Smart Screw system on the main Cage wheel. Then, the weight is balanced in relation to the center of the tourbillon cage by adding tiny metal rings under the two screws on the main cage wheel. It typically takes a watchmaker 8 hours to adjust the tiny rings and balance the weight perfectly to run at 4 Hertz. What makes this watch even more alluring is the price. It retails for an incredible $46,500 — for a tourbillon! But there is a catch … just 188 pieces are being created.

Time Capsules: Commentary – Hamilton Watch Company – the Ventura, Elvis and legends

Hamilton Watch Company has had a long and fruitful relationship with Hollywood over the years, since it starred in its first film in 1951 with the Oscar-nominated movie “The Frogmen”.  Actors playing naval diving heroes wore the same model Hamilton watches as American soldiers had worn during the WWII. Since then the brand’s distinctive watches have caught the attention of the world’s leading screen stylists thanks to Hamilton’s unusual shapes, designs and materials.  In fact, the brand has more than 400 movies credited to it, with one of the early winners being the iconic Ventura watch – worn by Elvis Presley in the 1961 film, Blue Hawaii. It is difficult to determine the real winner here: Presley – actor, singer turned King; or the Ventura – a watch unlike any other that has become a legend in Hamilton’s line up and in watchmaking history. It remains a continually updated watch even today. Shine On, Ventura. What’s more, Hamilton continues to remain in the Hollywood spotlight. Watch for more news on that from Atimelyperspective coming soon!

Time Capsules: Commentary – Watch Industry Loses a legend, Gerald Genta Dies

Today, Charles Gerald Genta, legendary Swiss watchmaker and designer, passed away at the age of 80.  Not only did Genta design one of the most amazing collections of complicated timepieces under his own name (which was subsequently purchased by the Bulgari Group), but also he is the visionary responsible for the design and creation of some of the most renowned timepieces of our time, including Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, Omega’s Seamaster Constellation men’s watch and several others.

It was a couple of dozen years ago that I had the great fortune of meeting Genta for the very first of what would be many times over the ensuing decades. Each meeting was an inspiration. In those days, BaselWorld was simply the Basel Fair and it was held in a single building. Genta’s booth was in the center of Hall 1 and was opposite a small escalator going upstairs. He and I sat for at least an hour together the first time while he showed me his amazing retrograde watches with Mickey Mouse on them. They retailed for tens of thousands of dollars and I remember asking him, “Are you sure people will pay those prices for Mickey Mouse?” and he smiled his wonderful, congenial smile and assured me the complexities and the concept were guaranteed winners. Of course they were! And they remain so today – fetching top dollars at auctions globally. Genta was always on the cutting edge in terms of technology, design and materials. He was the first to use bronze in a watch when he released the very first Gefica – which he created after a safari and wanted a watch that wouldn’t shine in the bushes. I remember those stories oh so well. Year after year, when I met with him, he always had a story to tell me, a new creation to show me: his sonnerie, the Octo Grande sonnerie Tourbillon with its four gongs and Westminster quarters that sang out the same melody as London’s Big Ben, and even the Grande Sonnerie Retro, designed just over 15 years ago. His enthusiasm was contagious and his demeanor always gracious and humble. Genta was a man passionate about capturing and displaying time in new ways.

After his Gerald Genta brand was purchased by Bulgari, Genta resigned but never quit … he went on to create the Gerald Charles brand, with new pieces and designs that he planned to continue to expound upon. He was designing for other brands, as well. While his death saddens me and is a great loss to the industry, Genta was a man who made history in watchmaking, and he would want us to rejoice in the creations he brought to us. I know many an independent watchmaker of today who considered him their mentor, and also mourn his death, but who will carry that innovation torch forward in time with visions of preserving Genta’s passions in their own manner.  We will miss you, Gerald Genta.  

Time Capsules: Product – IWC Watches – Double Delight with the Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium

IWC Schaffhausen is a brand rich with wonderful and unique history that just keeps getting better. It seems everything this company does turns to gold. Year after year, the IWC watches unveiled not only recall the past collections with superb craftsmanship and eye to detail, but also do so with visionary glances to the future. Such is the case with the new Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium – a watch of masterful precision and engineering now offered in a 45mm titanium case. Housing the 79320 caliber, the watch is the first in the Ingenieur family to sport a split seconds hand mechanism and titanium finish. While this line dates back to 1954-1955, the newest mechanical chronograph self-winding movement offers intermediate timing with the split-seconds hand mechanism, as well as date, and day display, small hacking seconds and black rubber-coated pushbuttons and crown protector. The 29 jewel movement beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The rugged piece is equipped with anti-reflective sapphire crystal, rubber straps, black titanium screw-in crown and is water resistant to 12 bar. Even better – it retails for $12,700.

 

 

Time Capsules: News — Vacheron Constantin Recalls its American Heritage

James Ward Packard watchIn a move designed to coincide with the opening of its first USA boutique (in NYC) and to recall its rich history here in the USA (which ATimelyperspective wrote about just recently), Vacheron Constantin has launched an interactive website:  http://americanheritage.vacheron-constantin.com

The venerable brand – the world’s oldest watch manufacture in continuous operation – invites readers who are Vacheron Constantin owners to share their timepiece and personal stories so they can become part of the brand’s American history, which started here in 1832. The American Heritage of Vacheron Constantin Project features three timelines on the site, including one of the brand’s 256-year history, an American history timeline, and stories of its American collectors, including Henry Graves, James Packard, Julie Ward Howe and others.  In fact, it was in 1918 that James Ward Packard, founder of the Packard Motor Car company, commissioned a unique piece from Vacheron Constantin that sold recently at a Christie’s auction for $1.8 million. This piece can be seen on the site. Current Vacheron Constantin owners will be asked to provide information on their timepiece, allowing the brand’s Heritage department to validate each submission, after validation, owners will be invited to share their unique story as part of the timeline.

This concept is similar to what several other top brands are doing in the web world, by inviting customers to share their stories on line and become part of the brand’s history.  Does this new wave of interaction attract the right clientele?  This remains to be seen.