If you’re in Geneva between June 16 and June 26, we suggest you visit the historic headquarters of Patek Philippe on Rue du Rhône. There, the watchmaker is exhibiting more than seventy-five Rare Handcrafts items from its collection.
In its largest such collection of rare handcrafts masterpieces, Patek Philippe mixes in several of its 2021 Rare Handcrafts with a curated selection of seventy 2020 artisanal items, including one-of-a-kind limited editions. These include pocket watches, wristwatches, dome table clocks and bracket clocks made using a broad range of artisanal skills.
This genuine ‘panda’ dial from Patek Philippe will be on display at the exhibit.
These skills include manual engraving, precious miniature painting on enamel (a Genevan specialty), flinqué enamel on hand guilloching, paillonné enamel, enamel with Limoges painting, fauré enamel (relief enamel), Longwy enamel on faience, and gem-setting.
Patek Philippe has even included several rarely seen examples of wood micro-marquetry as well as mixed-technique pieces that combine marquetry, manual engraving, and flinqué enamel.
While exploring the exhibits, visitors can also observe the artisans at work as they demonstrate their expertise in enameling, miniature painting on enamel, engraving, marquetry and guilloching.
The “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition at the Patek Philippe salons in Geneva on Rue du Rhône 41 is open to the public from June 16 to 26, 2021, every day (except Sundays) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors should register at https://www.patek.com/rhc2021/ in advance.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of its line of Golden Bridge automatic watches, Corum launches the Corum 10th Anniversary Golden Bridge Automatic Collection. And with the new collection, Corum treats the wearer to a more expansive view of the watch’s unusual baguette-shaped in-line movement.
One of four models in the new Corum 10th Anniversary Golden Bridge Automatic Collection.
Developed as a manual-wind movement in the 1970s by Vincent Calabrese, who patented the design in 1977, Corum debuted the minimalist caliber within its collection in 1980 as the Golden Bridge, with movement parts made of gold.
The watch was a hit, and Corum created an impressive range of Golden Bridge iterations in the years after 1980. Then, in 2011 and after four years of research, Corum developed an automatic version, wisely showcasing the watch’s floating linear movement by creating an oscillating weight on rails to power the new automatic Golden Bridge.
New tonneau cases
Now, ten years after that debut, Corum celebrates with four new tonneau-shaped Golden Bridge models that frame the movement, which again features main plates and bridges made from 18-karat gold.
This precious-metal caliber is now both protected by and clearly visible through a large panoramic sapphire crystal and caseback. Corum cut the new crystal from a single piece of sapphire, extending it from the top crystal to the sides of the watch to allow for a 360-degree view of the movement.
Corum cut the new crystal from a single piece of sapphire, extending it from the top crystal to the sides of the watch.
Corum sets the sapphire in either a titanium or gold case measuring 37.2mm by 51.8mm, larger than we’ve seen for previous Golden Bridge automatic models. The new case size effectively creates a larger stage for the star of the watch, the movement, which is set vertically from the 12 o’clock position to the 6 o’clock position, where you’ll find the crown.
For the dial, Corum created another unusual visual treat: a ‘floating harness’ system to display its hand-applied indexes. Corum notes that “because there is no dial to affix the indexes to, the harness system links to the movement base so that the markers seem to be floating in space.”
Smoked crystal
For yet another unusual view, turn the watch over. From the back Corum shows off its Caliber C0313 through a smoke-hued sapphire crystal. The movement boasts forty hours of power reserve, a variable inertia balance wheel, a miniaturized barrel and main plate and even more precious metal: the linear oscillating weight is made from platinum.
From the back Corum shows off its Caliber C0313 through smoke-hued sapphire.
Corum is making its 10th Anniversary Golden Bridge Automatic Collection with four distinct editions: a blackened titanium and 18-karat gold model in a limited edition of 150 pieces, and a full blackened titanium version in an edition of fifty pieces. Two more models echo these cases, but are set with diamonds and are offered in more limited numbers. Corum will make 100 pieces of the diamond-set titanium-and-gold version and only twenty-five of the diamond-set titanium watch.
Prices start at $29,000 and rise to $41,900 for the rose gold model with diamonds.
From the Motor City, Detroit Watch Company now offers three new watches that celebrate automotive racing with a distinctive retro touch.
The independent watchmaker, known for its Detroit-themed chronographs, moonphase watches and its City Code Collection with a playful area-code dial layout, this month releases the M1-Woodward LeMans Classic Chronograph Exhibition, a set of ETA Valjoux 7750-powered chronographs that commemorate legendary Ford and Porsche racecars.
The new M1-Woodward LeMans Classic Chronograph Exhibition, available in 42mm or a 44mm steel case.
Detroit Watch uses its M1-Woodward Avenue chronograph as the base of the new collection, which consists of steel models in two sizes and three dials designed with 1960s-style Gulf racecar livery colors. This means you’ll see a dial of classic light blue interrupted by an orange stripe.
The trio is differentiated by a large racecar number set within the small seconds subdial along the orange stripe. Detroit Watch is offering a choice of dials with any one of three numbers, 6, 9 and 20, which correspond to particular LeMans racecars from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Each watch is made in 42mm and 44mm steel case options.
Le Mans winners
The M1-Woodward LeMans Classic Chronograph Exhibition with the number 20 refers to the Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film “Le Mans.” Detroit Watch explains that the 1970 Porsche 917K, chassis 024, was used as a test car for Le Mans before becoming the star car that McQueen drove in the movie.
The model bearing number 9 references the 1968 Ford GT40, chassis 1075, racecar number 9 that was the 1968 Le Mans winner. It was driven to victory by Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi. Chassis 1075 would also go on to win Le Mans in 1969 with racecar number 6.
Which brings us to number 6, which references the same car, a Ford GT40 driven to victory by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver in 1968 at Le Mans. This was the second Le Mans win for chassis 1075 following the 1968 win with race number 9.
Detroit Watch matches the new Le Mans dial configuration with a black leather strap with orange stitching. Priced at $1,995, the watch offers strong value given its mechanical specifications, and especially for racecar fans who particularly enjoy the sport’s evocative 1960s and 1970s era.
The caseback view of the 42mm M1-Woodward LeMans Classic Chronograph Exhibition, exposing the ETA Valjoux 7750 movement with special decoration.
Specifications: Detroit Watch M1-Woodward LeMans Classic Chronograph Exhibition
Movement: Top execution automatic Valjoux ETA 7750 chronograph with Incabloc shock-absorber, anachron hairspring, Glucydur balance. 28,800 Vph, with 48-hour power reserve. Custom DWC decoration.
Cases: 42mm x 14.5mm model is polished & brushed stainless steel, 52mm lug to lug, exhibition back with custom M1 rotor. Screw down crown. The 44mm x 14.5mm model is polished & brushed stainless steel, 52mm lug to lug with exhibition back. Weight: 112 grams w/strap, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, water resistant to 50 meters.
Dial: Satin white.Hour indexes with Superluminova.
Strap: Calf leather with deployant clasp and quick-release spring bars.
During these past few weeks, eyeing my wrist has been pleasurable – and relaxing. I’ve been wearing a Waldan Heritage Professional watch with an off-white dial, and this 40mm watch’s clean time-only face requests very little from my brain. I’m lulled by its familiar, soft color and plainspoken display, which immediately registers the hour, minutes and seconds…and then seems to back off.
The Waldan Heritage Professional.
Dress watches typically require only admiration from wearers and observers, and on that front Waldan’s classic design here clearly succeeds. And it’s not simply the open, track-free dial that delivers a clear message.
Waldan nicely frames all the Heritage Professional cases with a polished, two-level round bezel. These curves continue onto the relatively small, lightly brushed lugs that only slightly offer contrast to the watch’s polish.
That pleasing contrast, along with the blue seconds hand and the red ‘Ameriquartz’ logo, nicely accent the watch overall, but are careful to not overwhelm the eye. The luxurious Ambra Elbamatt leather strap, on the other hand, betrays Waldan’s strong sense of fashion, which is more blatant on the collection’s green-dial option.
Ameriquartz inside
But there’s more to the Waldan Heritage Professional than meets the eye – literally.
While you won’t see the Ameriquartz caliber inside the watch’s closed case, you’ll know that it will power the watch’s hands flawlessly for years.
Each U.S-made Ameriquartz movement carries a manufacturer’s five-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Fine Timepiece Solutions, the Arizona-based manufacturer of the Ameriquartz movements that power all the newest Waldan watches, guarantees that its all-metal calibers are defect-free for a full five years. (In fact, asa founding member of FTS, iW Publisher Gary Girdvainis will attest to the ultra-high manufacturing processes that result in these movements. Just ask him.)
The fairly slim caliber means that Waldan’s entire Heritage Professional collection maintains a dress-watch-thin 8.6mm from top to back. This size means the 40mm case diameter seems a smaller on the wrist, which is preferable for a dress model. My Waldan fit effortlessly onto my small-ish wrist. It was comfortable at all times.
Waldan is introducing its Heritage Professional series with dials in four colors, including black, white, off-white and green. While I look forward to seeing additional dial color options in future debuts, the off-white model nicely fits my wrist, as I’ve noted, while also perfectly enhancing my mood. With its ability to satisfy both those demands, the Waldan Heritage Professional, priced at $299, is a bargain.
Specifications: Waldan Heritage Professional
Movement: American-made Ameriquartz Caliber 70200 quartz movement, all metal, hand made, assembled and tested individually in the United States. Fully serviceable and warrantied for five years.
Dial: Off White (OA variant) with black applied Arabic numerals, steel hands, black outer dial rim with applied SuperLuminova plots. Sunken and diamond-cut subdial above 6pm for sub-seconds register with small blue steel hand. Signed ‘Waldan, New York,’ ‘AMERIQUARTZ’ and ‘USA MOVT’.
Case: 316L stainless steel, two-piece, double stepped case with screw down back and anti-reflective-treated flat sapphire crystal. 40mm diameter x 8.6mm thickness x 20mm lug width. Mixed finish with polished case and brushed lugs. Knurled crown signed “W” with multi gasket system for 50 meter water resistance. Caseback signed.
Strap: Genuine Ambra Elbamatt brown leather, stainless steel buckle.
For its new Grand Central Cintree Curvex, Franck Muller watchmakers found an innovative way to place the hour and second hands around the tourbillon cage, highlighting the large central tourbillon and a stunning guilloché dial.
The new Franck Muller Grand Central Cintrée Curvex, available in a variety of dial colors and case metal options.
That tourbillon (while large, the tourbillon here is not the brand’s largest) is housed in a redesigned Cintrée Curvex case with a separate bezel, allowing the crystal to reach the strap. Furthermore, Franck Muller has separated the bezel from the case, allowing for a series of impressive two-tone treatments.
This design totally changes the aspect of the original Cintrée Curvex and fully highlights the curves of this newly shaped watch.
And, in an unusual move, Franck Muller powers the new Grand Central Cintrée Curvex with an automatic movement. Many traditional tourbillon watches rely on manual-wind calibers.
The watch’s caliber (FM CX 40T-CTR) is visible through the sapphire caseback, showing the traditional decorations, including Côte de Genève and sunray brushing.
Franck Muller wisely allows a clear view of the caliber (FM CX 40T-CTR) through a sapphire caseback, showing the traditional decorations, including Côte de Genève and sunray brushing. Prices: From $124,400 to $134,400.
Specifications: Franck Muller Grand CentralCintrée Curvex
Case: 58.70mm x 40.16 mm x 7.73 mm (various metals) with stainless steel internal bezel. Sapphire crystal. Water resistant up to 30 meters. Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds on the central tourbillon.
FM CX 40T-CTR Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system. Power reserve is 4 days. Balance wheel frequency set at 18,000 alternations per hour.
Décor: Côte de Genève on bridges, sunray brushing on the rotor and barrel cover, spotting on the bottom plate. Chamfering on the bridges and rotor board. Rhodium plating and 24-kt. gold finish on textual engravings.
Bracelet: Hand-sewn alligator strap with gold folding buckle.
Waldan nicely frames all the Heritage Professional cases with a polished, two-level round bezel. These curves continue onto the relatively small, lightly brushed lugs that only slightly offer contrast to the watch’s polish.
