Video – Christophe Claret Clarifies the 21 Black Jack on video

On February 24, a timelyperpsectiive wrote about the famed Christophe Claret and his amazing new 21 Black Jack watch here – due to make its debut next week in BaselWorld 2011. The $170,000+ watch lets its wearer play three casino games: black jack – with striking mechanism; roulette; dice. Now, we bring you a video of the gaming timepiece and how it works – indulge in a little fun.

Time Capsules: Robert & Fils 1630 — Unique Pieces

More than a dozen years ago, a friend of mine, Gilles Robert, who has created and designed watches for some of the world’s foremost brands, created a line of ladies’ watches under his Gilles Robert name. I own one of those lovely steel-and-gold timepieces and am proud to still own and wear it.
Just about nine years ago, however, Gilles Robert ventured into his family’s rich watchmaking heritage and launched the Robert & Fils 1630 brand – one that focuses on the Robert family’s 400 years of tradition. It was in 1630 that Abram Robert was responsible for the clocks in Le Locle, and the family has designed and made timepieces ever since.
Gilles Robert is the 11th generation of his family. As such, the timepieces created today by the company are built in extremely limited numbers and focus on grand feu enameling, engraving and the highest art forms in the watch world. Watches are inspired by the family’s artistic heritage, including reproducing in miniature the paintings of artist Leopold Robert (1794-1835) that can be found around the world in museums. In 2010, the brand released exceptional bird scenes.  Additionally, the timepieces use “Robert” calibers, that are vintage calibers restored by hand.
Now, the newest timepiece to be released in just about a week at the upcoming BaselWorld 2011 is “The Brigand’s Rest,” a unique grand-feu enameled watch with an 18-karat gold case and dial featuring an enameled miniature replicating an image of the brigand’s wife watching over the rest of her husband Leopold Robert. The original painting was oil on canvas, masterfully done in Rome, circa 1827, and is on display at the museum of fine arts in LaChaux de Fonds. Both the new watch and the painting will be on exhibited in BaselWorld. The watch houses a five-step historical automatic movement that was manufactured at Fontainemelon between 1960 and 1970 and features a 22-karat gold oscillating weight. The price has not yet been fully established.

Weekend Sojourn: Silver Walks the Runways

While  gold and platinum may rule the precious metal jewelry world,  silver comes on strong in today’s fashion lifestyles. In fact, this shimmering metal recently walked the runway during New York’s fashion week, and is guaranteed to steal the limelight this summer in all looks –stretching into fall and winter.  The Silver Promotion Service sponsored the Ruffian Fashion show for fall/winter 2011, and stunning looks from world-renowned designers such as Robert Lee Morris, Ippolita, Paz Collective and Thistle & Bee made their mark.  So go don some silver jewelry ASAP women! This is one hot trend you won’t want to miss.

Time Capsules: Commentary – Coming together in a Second with Japan

As the world responds to the disasters in Japan — the earthquake, the tsunami, the aftershocks, the nuclear power plant issues and the devastation — I find it difficult to continue to post watch news and product without a simple commentary here.

My first trip overseas in the watch industry more than 25 years ago was to Japan. I visited Seiko, Citizen, Orient and Casio. I traveled to the mountains, to the off-shoot factories hours outside of Tokyo. I visited the countryside and formed long-lasting relationships with the watch brands — not to mention forming an amazing love for the beauty of this country.

Now, my heart reaches out to all of Japanese people I know and to the families both here and there. While we often write about the great mechanical Swiss watch brands, these great Japanese bravados  brought us quartz technology, solar timepieces and so much more. We, in the watch industry, often refer to our arena as a watch world. Now, more than ever before, we are truly a watch “world” coming together with thoughts and prayers.

Time Capsules: Product — Thomas Prescher Brings Us Behind the Dial

Thomas Prescher, independent watchmaker extraordinaire, once again creates an exclusive, custom-made design for a special customer. This exquisite piece features retrograde “hands” in the form of a wing for the hours on the left side of the dial and a staff for the minutes on the right side of the dial.  While some watchmakers create a custom timepiece from a sketch for a client, and at the end produce a finished product, Prescher kept his customer very much in the loop. Click on the Tempus Vivendi watch image to go behind the scenes in the making of this very special piece.

Time Capsules: New Product – Franc Villa Opens Up

Known for  creating bold, complex timepieces, Franc Vila is about to unleash the open-worked FVa35 Supersonico 5-Minute Repeater. The titanium and 18-karat gold cased watch features movement bridges made of lightnium, an aluminium and a lithium alloy, used in the aeronautical industry. The combination of this high-tech material with the master watchmaking prowess, offers light-weight, rugged durability and a visually stunning presentation of mechanics and superb elegance. The movement, visible through the sapphire crystal since the watch is dial-less, is an automatic, hand-finished FV 35 caliber with an exclusive Franc Vila Gold Concept rotor. It offers hours, minutes, seconds and a five-minute repeater (with one gong to chime the hours and a second gong with double strike for the five-minute intervals). The timepiece – not yet priced — is created in a limited edition of 88 pieces.

Time Capsules: New Product – Boucheron’s Underwater World

Boucheron has always been known for its inventive verve. This is, after all, the brand that worked with MB&F to develop the stunning Owl high-jewel kit on top of the wonderful horological machine. This is the brand that since its inception and early wrist watch years in the 1920s has been focusing on creating timepieces of mastery – works of art for the wrist.

 So it comes as no surprise that this year, the brand will be unveiling at the upcoming BaselWorld 2011 a host  of stunning artistry pieces that combine creativity both inside and out. Among them is this Crazy Seahorse watch, part of the Aquatic Waves series. Its rich dial features a main seahorse encrusted with pink, yellow and orange sapphires gliding through an ocean of mother of pearl. A second smaller seahorse is crafted in marquetry of fossilized palm trees. Together, they float amidst a three-dimensional dial of gemstone-set coral that offers depth and rich appeal.

Inside this work 42mm, 18-karat white gold case (with  a bezel set with 28 white diamonds), is a Girard-Perregaux 4000 movement that offers a “crazy seconds” complication, visible on the dial next to the jeweled seahorse.  Its disk features a fish that slowly swims in circles with the passing seconds. The retail price on this soon-to-be-released Boucheron piece has not yet been set. But this is an underwater stunner that every collector will want to dive in for.

Time Capsules: Product – Bell & Ross Radiates Carbon

Positive energy flows at Bell & Ross for 2011with its new round collection stealing the limelight for a whole generation of Bell & Ross lovers who just couldn’t fit that oversized square watch on their wrist or who were just waiting for the round bombshell to emerge. Now, better than ever, Bell & Ross unveils the Vintage Original Carbon series!  This sleek reinvention of its authentic vintage watches is offered in a round case in the ever legible Bell & Ross style reminiscent of a cockpit instrument panel. The anti-glare, matt black carbon finish is inspired by the instrument panel, as well, and the ultra-curved sapphire crystal gives the watch a definitive vintage look.
 The Vintage Original Carbon is offered in two Swiss movement options: an automatic with hours, minutes, seconds and date – the BR 123; and an automatic chronograph BR 126. Both pieces house ETA movements in their 41mm black PVD steel cases. Both are water resistant to 100 meters and feature numbers, index markers and hands with a photo-luminescent coating for night-time reading. Both are beauties for night time or anytime.
 

Weekend Sojourn: Need a Place to Put Those Watches?

Usually on the weekends we take a break from watches. This weekend, we take that break but we stay in the realm, so to speak. A few of our readers have been asking about how to store automatic watches, so you don’t have to wind them if they haven’t been worn frequently enough. As such, we are bringing you the Orbita Avanti 3. Orbita is one of several brands that offer watch winders. This new Avanti 3 is constructed of Macassar with carbon fiber trimmed panels. It features three self-programming winder modules powered by five-year lithium batteries. Built-in storage drawers let you hold additional watches.  This watch winder retails for $2,995.