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The Watches

Frederique Constant Teams with Peter Speake  

British watchmaker Peter Speake continues his collaborative work with Geneva-based watch manufacture Frederique Constant, launching the Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake, a steel-grey hued edition of the brown-accented collaborative watch from 2022.

The new Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake.

The new 42mm steel-cased perpetual calendar retains the skeletonized design of the original model. The openwork design nicely displays Frederique Constant’s own automatic FC-775  caliber, here showing the hour and minutes without a seconds hand.

The idea is to allow the eye to more clearly focus on the perpetual calendar displays, which include the day and date, the month (at 12 o’clock), moonphase (at 6 o’clock) and, finally, the leap year. 

Frederique Constant explains that “since this detail is not needed for everyday use, it has been moved over to the month display at 12 o’clock. A discreet red dot appears for the month in question when the year has 366 days; at all other times, the window remains white.”

Frederique Constant finishes its in-house movement with a circular satin finish and blued screws. The watch’s transparent caseback displays an openwork, blue-colored oscillating weight. Also visible are the words ‘Limited Edition 135 pieces’ which are engraved on each watch. Each watch arrives on a grey nylon strap with matching overstitching. 

Price: $11,995.

 

Specifications: Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake

(Reference FC-775PS4S6, a limited édition of 135) 

Functions: Hours, minutes, moonphase, date, day, month, leap year.

 

Movement: FC-775 in-house caliber, automatic, perpetual calendar, Perlage decoration on movement, anthracite bridge, blue rotor, satin finishing on all springs, circular finishing on perpetual calendar wheels, 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 alt/h. 

 

Case: Polished stainless steel 3-part case, diameter of 42mm, height of 12,05 mm

Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, see-through case back, water-resistant to 3 ATM/30m/100ft.

 

Dial: Grey color dial with matte finishing, skeleton, luminescent printed indexes, 

White and polished hands with luminous treatment, moonphase with luminous treatment.

 

Strap: Grey nylon strap with tone-on-tone stitching, folding buckle.

 

Availability March 2024 at the Citizen Flagship Store New York and at select Frederique Constant retailers.

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The Watches

H.Moser Adds Jade to Streamliner 

H. Moser fits a stunning dial made from Wyoming-sourced jade into its Streamliner tourbillon to create the new Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade, a limited edition (of 100) red gold watch.

The new H. Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade.

The logo-free jade dial allows the Streamliner’s one-minute flying tourbillon to stand out nicely (at 6 o’clock), highlighting this independent Swiss watchmaker’s considerable technical and artisanal talent.

Collectors may be familiar with the Streamliner’s retro-styled cushion case and the unusual double-hairspring HMC 804 automatic caliber that powers the watch, but until now no one has seen how a rare olive-toned slice of jade can enhance the Streamliner’s pleasing aesthetic.

H. Moser explains that its dial-makers sourced the dial’s raw material from Wyoming. Chosen for its naturally occurring marks and unique shades, the jade used on the dial is untreated out of “respect for its original structure.” 

With the selected material, H. Moser explains that lapidary artisans cut the stone using CNC technology in a liquid environment to create a slice 1.0 to 1.2 mm thick. “These slices are then laid on jigs, wetted and inspected under a light to determine the optimal positioning of the plates for cutting the dials.” After hand polishing, dial makers varnish and then glue the dials onto a brass base.

H. Moser frames the dial of the new watch with a 40mm by 12.1mm red gold case, held with an equally luxurious red gold integrated bracelet. (See below for full technical specifications). 

Price: $119,000.

Specifications: H. Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade

Reference 6804-0406, red gold model, natural Wyoming jade dial, integrated bracelet in red gold, limited edition of 100 pieces 

Case:

5N red gold topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal

Diameter: 40.0 mm

Height without sapphire crystal: 10.3 mm

Height with sapphire crystal: 12.1 mm 

Screw-in crown adorned with an engraved “M”

See-through sapphire crystal case-back

Water-resistant to 12 ATM 

Dial:

Wyoming jade, 100% natural

Hour and minute hands with Globolight® inserts 

5N red gold faceted indices 

Movement:

HMC 804 automatic Manufacture calibre

Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1/4 lignes 

Height: 5.5 mm 

Frequency: 21,600 vibrations/hour

Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system 

Oscillating weight in 18-carat red gold with engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo 

Power reserve: minimum of 3 days 

One-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonized bridges 

Original double hairspring 

Strap/bracelet:

Integrated bracelet in 5N red gold  

Folding clasp with three blades in 5N red gold, engraved with the Moser logo 

Half-links available.

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The Watches

Corum Celebrates the Year of the Dragon 

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.

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The Watches

Hermès Celebrates Dance

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.

 

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The Watches

Carl F. Bucherer Adds a Perpetual Calendar 

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. 

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