Archives A Timely Perspective

Time Capsules: News — Women's Watches Dazzle in New Book

An expressive full-color hard-cover book on the entire realm of jewelry watches will be out soon — in Arabic and Chinese only. “Jewels of Arabia” is a 218-page work written by award-winning watch journalist, Roberta Naas and published by MPP — Middle East Media LLC. It is Naas’s fifth book published on the subject of timepieces. This book features an historical chapter about the rise of timekeeping, and subsquent chapters on some of the most prizeed watch materials and makings — ranging from gold and platinum to diamonds, gemstones and pearls. If you read Arabic — or Chinese — this is for you — otherwise you can only look at pretty pictures of the world’s finest timepieces.
Meanwhile, if you are a lover of women’s watches and would like to indulge in a superb book on women’s watches — written in English — don’t miss Naas’s fourth book, which just came out on the market earlier this year. Published by Farameh Media, Jewels of Time is a stunning hard-cover book filled with women’s watches of the most alluring sort — from enamel and high-jeweled pieces, to animal inspired watches and alluring secret watches. You can get more info on that book here.

Time Capsules: Product – Harry Winston Unveils Ladies’ Moon Phase Watch

At the recent TimeCrafters Show in NYC, the iconic luxury watch and jewelry maker, Harry Winston, unveiled its newest, extremely captivating Midnight Moon Phase timepieces.
Part of the Midnight Collection™, these two new watches offer a romantic interpretation of the moonphase complication, wherein the moon and stars peek out from behind the branches of trees that are meticulously engraved and lavishly finished in contrasting lacquers on the dial.
Offered in either 18-karat rose gold or 18-karat white gold, each of these two alluring timepieces is simply beautiful and almost fanciful. Both versions are ensconced in diamonds that rim the case and accent the dial (91 brilliant-cut diamonds on the case). What’s even more exciting about these pieces is their retail price – just about $26,700.

Off the Cuff: Complicated Watches Don’t Get Much Better – The IWC Portuguese Sidereal Scafusia

Granted, the name is a mouthful, but the IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia deserves a mouthful. It was 10 years in the research and development stages and is a masterpiece of haute horlogerie. The watch offers sidereal time, solar time and astronomical displays, among other functions, and is the most complex watch ever created by IWC.
Solar time is based on an average solar day (24 hours); sidereal (real) time is four minutes shorter than an average solar day because it measures the time taken for the earth to complete a rotation around its own axis. This watch displays the difference between solar and sidereal time on its reverse

side. Also on the reverse side are a celestial chart, geographic coordinates, and sunrise and sunset times custom-made for the buyer for the location of his choice.
The front of the watch offers a view of the constant-force tourbillon — an escapement that compensates for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity. The watch is offered in either a platinum or rose gold case or costs about the price of a waterfront beach house — $750,000. Each watch must be special-ordered and takes about one year to build, but is well worth the wait.

Trend Report: High-Jeweled Watches Inspired by Nature

These avian inspirations make time take flight, combining multiple modes of artistic diligence with enamel work, gem setting, sculpting, and engraving. They are works of art that perfectly reflect nature, giving women the sense of gratification and pride that only a true piece of wearable art can bring.
Cartier Tourbillon watch ($221,000) features a kingfisher in flight on the dark-purple and Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, bedecked with 210 brilliant-cut diamonds for the wings and 80 cognac-colored diamonds for the body (and an emerald eye). It is finished with blue, orange, yellow, and white enamel. The watch houses the Geneva Seal-certified 9458 MC Caliber with flying tourbillon created in-house by Cartier. Just 60 pieces will be made.
Van Cleef & Arpels elegant swan watch ($270,000) is part of the From the Earth to the Moon Constellation collection. It is one of four timepieces that are sold as a complete set with an Extraordinary Cabinet, created in a limited edition of 22 sets ($510,000 per set). This watch is crafted in 18k white gold with enamel work, gold sculpting, and diamonds.
LeVian’s Into the Wild Peacock watch ($6,995) features a diamond bezel and a raised diamond dial, set with five carats of diamonds, tsavorites, and blue sapphires to form the peacock in all its feathered glory. The watch is finished with a genuine stingray strap. In a limited edition of 500 pieces. (This article by Roberta Naas appears in similar format the September issue of Ocean Drive Magazine.)

Cool Watches – Finally, a Swiss Tourbillon you can Afford!

Before the release of this watch, the purchase of a Swiss-made tourbillon would cost way upwards of $75,000 – $80,000. Now, Frederique Constant unveils te new Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture (in two versions) that makes buying this magnificent feat of watchmaking incredibly more affordable.

The brand offers either a stainless steel version or a stainless steel with 18-karat solid rose gold bezel model – retailing for approximately $34,000 to $36,500! This is a steal – especially considering the craftsmanship involved in the making. Each timepiece is individually numbered, with just 188 pieces of each model being built. The advanced movement is equipped with a silicium escapement wheel and lever—reducing service needs and increasing durability. The watch features a 60-second tourbillon, wherein the seconds hand is integrated into the rotating tourbillon cage. The sleek timepiece, inspired by the 1950’s watches, features a slim case and a sapphire caseback for viewing the rose gold plated rotor and decorated movement.

Time Capsules: Product — Sports Watches — Have You Seen the Tissot T-Touch?

Tissot – Swiss watch brand with more than 150 years of history behind it — is always on the cutting edge when it comes to sports. It is the official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR®, FIBA, AFL, CBA, the World Championships of Cycling, fencing and ice hockey, and MotoGP.

In fact, the Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss Watches, as well as official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR®, FIBA, AFL, CBA, MotoGP and the World Championships of cycling, fencing and ice hockey. With the latest innovations in its communication and product, Tissot presents impressive proof of its signature, “Innovators by tradition“.brand is way out on top when it comes to motorcycle racing and backs MotoGP like no other watch brand could, with a host of brand ambassadors from the fast-paced world of motorcycle racing. Ambassadors include Nicky Hayden (MotoGP world champion), for whom the brand created a Tissot T-Race Nicky Haden Limited Edition watch — a GMT chronograph incorporating his colors and number into it.

Why a T-Touch? Well – have you seen one lately? This watch has so much to offer! In fact, it is the This T-Race watch offers 11 functions and retails for $650.basis behind the brand’s advertising campaign that holds the tag line “In touch with your time”. The T-Touch watches house expert technology that enables them to offer a vast variety of functions with a simple touch to the watch. The titanium T-Touch Expert Dragon 2012, for instance, features a weather forecaster, altimeter, compass, thermometer, alarm and more—in addition to the chronograph and time-keeping features. There is also a T-Touch Sailing watch (with countdown timer for yacht racing), a Sea-Touch (with dive functions) and a host of other exciting versions – with some of them offering as many as 15 functions. The T-Touch collection ranges in price from $625 to $1275 and the dragon retails for $1250.

Watches for Men: Ready, Set, Race

Recently, I got some hands-on experience with watches that are inspired by the world of automobiles. These mechanical marvels – both cars and watches – are a grand fascination thanks to their high-precision engines meant for ultimate use and pleasure. The blend of these two worlds inspires an entire breed of winning wristwatches for the fast lane. In fact, dozens of brands enjoy this watchmaking realm. Among those I particularly enjoyed having in my hands:

Blancpain’s L-Evolution Super Trofeo Split-Seconds Flyback Chronograph celebrates the brand’s involvement with Lamborghini racing. Retailing for $55,700 in 18-karat rose gold, the complex 409-part movement offers a flyback chronograph. It boldly boasts a carbon fiber dial. Another cool contender is the iconioc 40mm Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona — shown here in 18-karat Everose gold and selling for $28,800.

Bold and bright, is the Richard Mille RM 011 Felipe Massa Flyback Chronograph Carbon watch that celebrates the return of the Formula 1 Grand Prix to a US track and Massa’s return, as well. The carbon cased flyback chronograph has a skeletonized automatic winding movement. Just 30 pieces are being made—each selling for a super fast $128,000. FP Journe’s Octa Sport Indy 500 Limited Edition watch, made in honor of driver Jean Alesi’s participation in the Indy 500, sells for $29,500 and is created in a blackened high-tech aeronautic aluminum for ultimate light weight. Even the movement base plate and bridges are crafted in aluminum.

Time Capsules: Product – Beautiful Women’s Watches from Ulysse Nardin

Ok – so Atimelyperspective.com has been hearing from its female watch readers that they would like a little more attention paid their way. Today, Ulysse Nardin makes this task so easy with a stunning piece that serves as eye candy as well as sophisticated craftsmanship.

This Caprice Butterfly watch – created in a limited edition of just 28 pieces – features a striking enamel dial showcasing the butterfly in flight. Crafted in 18-karat white gold, the watch is adorned with 353 diamonds weighing 3.8 carats. The butterfly is produced in enamel champlevé technique, wherein the dial’s surface is etched to create indentations that are then intricately painted with enamel and fired – multiple times. Sanding is done by hand to remove excess enamel and to allow the shine to glisten between the metal borders of the butterfly.

Beating within this beauty is the UN-13 caliber, a self-winding movement with 42 hours of power reserve. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters and it features an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a sapphire caseback to view the intricately finished movement. A statement of individuality, freedom and technical prowess, the Caprice Butterfly watch retails for approximately $58,300.

Time Capsules: Blancpain Releases Chinese Calendar Watch

Founded in 1735, Blancpain has become one of the most sought-after luxury watch brands. Today, under the direction of Marc A. Hayek, president and CEO of Blancpain, this Swiss brand has attained a number of world firsts and patents for its impressive parade of new calibers.

Blancpain, this year, unveiled one of the most complex calendar watches ever created – and it brought this piece to the New York TimeCrafters show last week for its first USA public viewing. The VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar watch is an intricate and elaborate timepiece that takes into account the traditional Chinese calendar — both visually and technologically.

The haute horlogerie watch has so much to offer. In fact, on the dial the hours, minutes and Gregorian calendar rub shoulders with the main indications of a traditional Chinese calendar: double-hour indication, day, month with leap month indications, signs of the zodiac, the five elements and the 10 celestial stems. What’s more, the 12 animals of the zodiac that represent the terrestrial branches follow the 60-year cycle that is central to Chinese culture.

Blancpain also incorporates the moon phases in to this timepiece, as it does with all of its complete calendars, but in this piece, the moonphases play a particularly important role. Contrary to the Gregorian solar calendar (that use the solar day as the base unit), the Chinese calendar is lunisolar (a solar calendar with the lunar cycle as its base unit). There are very complex calculations that go into creating this type of calendar, and even more complicated mechanical feats that go into translating it into the movement of a wristwatch. The new self-winding caliber 3638 created to power the watch consists of 434 parts, including 39 jewels and offers seven days of power reserve. The number of indications displayed on the dial is, nonetheless, extremely harmoniously balanced. With a grand feu enamel dial, the 45mm watch is created in a limited edition of 20 pieces in platinum and a non-limited edition in 18-karat red gold. The case comprises five integrated under-lug correctors for adjusting the many indications, and the crown is adorned with a cabochon ruby. Both versions are equipped with a sapphire crystal caseback for viewing the elaborate movement.