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Michael Thompson

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Parmigiani Fleurier adds a stunning new one-of-a-kind pocket watch to its “Objets d’Art” collection.

The new timepiece, called L’Armoriale, features a minute repeater and chronograph pocket watch movement made by A. Golay Leresche & Fils in 1890. In 1985, Michel Parmigiani restored the movement and added a perpetual calendar and has now created the exceptional case and dial for the movement.

Within the 58.2mm white gold case Parmigiani’s artisans have placed the perpetual calendar and its moon phase display against an aventurine sky and hand-hammered moons, all on white gold.

The lunar display is itself set within a stunning brown engraving in the “mezzo vibrato” theme. Around the dial also note almond motifs present on the case and lugs. The counters are also white gold and engraved.

On the back of the watch, you’ll see an equally stunning hand engraved design. Inspired by a tiled floor at Mantua’s Palazzo Te, the polished and grand feu enameled white gold back revels in its translucent yellow, brown, and red pattern, all completed by master enameler Vanessa Lecci.

Even the chain is a piece of artisanal workmanship.

Made by master chain-maker Laurent Jolliet, the 18-karat white gold 300mm chain features thirty-five square links and thirty-three oval links are all entirely handcrafted, beveled and polished.

All connect to one oval link with an engraved Parmiginai Fleurier logo.

As a one-of-a-kind project, the L’Armoriale is priced upon request. 

Corum launches two limited edition Bubble watches in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which commences in 2024.

The new Corum 47 Bubble Dragon.

One debut, the Bubble 47 Dragon, highlights a fanciful golden dragon hovering in a dark night sky.

Black lacquered clouds and a mother-of-pearl moon join the dragon, which is essentially depicted according to the Chinese legend that when dragons hear thunder, they rise to the clouds and “circulate in the sky.”

The new Corum Bubble 47 Dragon Eye.

The second watch, the Bubble 47 Dragon Eye, is a close-up of the year’s star character. The artisanal metal-cast eye on the dial is meant to represent the dragon’s strength and is fashioned in high-relief with hand-painted colors and gold scales.

On both watches, the magnifying effect of the sapphire bubble crystal enhances the multi-layer effect, allowing the viewer a close-up view of the precision artwork. The effect is particularly notable on the Dragon Eye model, which appears to stare directly at the viewer.

Corum explains that both new watches are powered by automatic CO 082 movement, a Soprod automatic caliber that offers a forty-two-hour power reserve. Both watches also sport steel cases darkened with a black PVD finish and a sapphire crystal caseback. Corum will attach a vulcanized rubber strap to each watch. 

Both the Bubble 47 Dragon and the Bubble 47 Dragon Eye are limited editions of eighty-eight pieces. Price: CHF 6,900.

Hermès continues to release beautifully decorated, artisanal dials within its Arceau collection. This newest example, the 38mm white gold Arceau Belles du Mexique watch, celebrates the Mexican Hat Dance with what the watchmaker calls ‘an ode to joy and movement” on the dial.

Dancers are depicted on a dial that echoes an Hermès silk scarf from 2017.

 

Set within a round, 38 mm-diameter white gold case, hand-painted dancers’ are arranged around the hours and minutes indications. Seven of the dancers spin freely in step with the wearer’s wrist movements.

The circle dance scene is performed around a ring of twenty-three diamonds set around the central hours and minutes hands.

 

Hermès artisans enhance the imagery starting with multi-layered mini-dials created by successive individual layers of paint. The artisans then apply all fourteen dancers to the base of a painted dial, which is framed with eighty-two diamonds.

Hermès powers each watch with a beautifully decorated Manufacture Hermès automatic H1912 movement.

 

The Hermès Arceau Belles du Mexique is a limited edition of twelve watches in two color options (orange and pink).  Price upon request.

 

Carl F. Bucherer harnesses its peripheral winding system to power the new Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar, one of this Swiss brand’s more complicated designs.

The new Carl F. Bucherer Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar.

The watchmaker nicely melds a perpetual calendar and a moon-phase display on the dial of the new watch, which is offered within a luxurious 41.6mm by 11.73mm rose gold case.

In a more traditional style than we typically see from Carl F. Bucherer, the new watch allows easy-to-read displays showing the leap year, date, day, month and moon phase. The latter display is particularly appealing, with hand-engraved rose gold moons on a disc of glittering aventurine.

And thank to this brand’s unusual in-house movement design, the back of the watch offers its own visual pleasures, notably a rotor that spins around the edge of the movement.

On this CFB A2055 caliber, a bidirectional oscillating weight turns on three frictionless ceramic ball-bearings housed in shock-absorbing mountings. 

Such  peripheral oscillating weights are still rare, even among Carl F. Bucherer’s peers in high-end watchmaking, and they always catch my eye when employed as they offer a truly unobstructed view of the finely finished manufacture automatic movement.

Carl F. Bucherer is offering the Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar with a choice of black, green and taupe dial hues, each displaying a handsome sunray brushed center and opaline index track.

All feature matching calfskin straps with a ‘Milky Way’ texture, quick release system and an 18-karat rose gold pin-lock folding clasp.

The limited edition model features a rose-hued dial.

A limited edition model (of eight pieces) with a rose-hued dial is also available only at Bucherer 1888 retail locations.

Price: $45,000. 

Doxa slims its SUB 300 dive watch to create the new SUB 300 Beta, a contemporary edition of the technical series, but with sleeker, colorful ceramic bezels and sunburst-finished dials.  

One of the new models in the Doxa SUB 300 Beta collection.

While thinner at 11.95mm (compared to the SUB 300T’s 13.65mm thickness) and with a slimmer bezel height, the new series still retains the collection’s 42.5mm diameter size as well as its range of deep diver specs.

The look is decidedly less retro than existing models in the 300SUB series, with a contemporary black ceramic bezel, wave-motif dial and slightly longer hour markers.

Doxa maintains a screw-down crown, helium release valve, a flat sapphire crystal and a screw-in steel caseback on this high-value 300-meter dive watch.

Doxa livens up the series with colorful accents and matching rubber strap options with a white, silver, black or blue dial.

Also available on request is Doxa’s historic stainless-steel “rice grain” bracelet.

Both options come with a deployant clasp featuring a wetsuit extension and Doxa’s own fish logo.

 

Specifications: Doxa SUB 300 Beta 

Case: 316L Stainless steel, diameter: 42.50mm x 44.50mm, height: 11.95mm, helium release valve. Crystal: ‘Flat’ sapphire with anti-reflective coating, Screw-in steel caseback, black ceramic screw-down crown. Water-resistance: 300 meters.

Dial: Sunburst finish with wave pattern, colored hands, orange or tone-on-tone, highlighted with SuperLumiNova, outer minute track, painted, glossy black.

Bezel: Black ceramic, unidirectional rotation, outer ring: depth in feet (black tone-on-tone indications), SuperLumiNova dot at 12 o’clock. Inner ring: Duration in minutes (black tone-on-tone indications).

Movement: Swiss mechanical, self-winding, 3 hands, power reserve of 38 hours,Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz), Doxa decorations.

Strap/Bracelet: FKM rubber strap, tone-on-tone matching the dial (or white for ‘Caribbean’ and ‘Searambler’); black PVD-coated folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension, Doxa fish symbol.

or

316L stainless steel ‘beads of rice’ bracelet; stainless steel folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension, Doxa fish symbol.

Price: With stainless steel bracelet: $2,290. With rubber strap: $2,250.