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The Watches

Introducing Fat Arrow, a Murphy-Moore Mash-Up

American watchmaker Roland G. Murphy, whose eponymous Pennsylvania-based RGM Watches pioneered independent watchmaking in the United States, has teamed with renowned watch photographer and artist Atom Moore to create a terrific limited edition series of ‘Fat Arrow’ military style watches.

The Equation of Time Fat Arrow.

The series, the Equation of Time Fat Arrow, reprises a late 2021 prototype developed by Moore and Murphy’s Equation of Time division, which specializes in watches designed with input from collectors. Moore’s original dial art piece “Fat Arrow” is based on the name given to the World War II-era watches with the larger dial arrows, which were used to signify British military equipment.

Starting with Moore’s Fat Arrow dial design, Murphy devised a complementary steel-cased 36mm military style watch.

As a result, the new Equation of Time Fat Arrow features a matte black dial, large crown, sword style hands and a ‘railroad’ minute track set with luminous dots and markers. Luminous material is also found on all the larger arrows on the dial.

As with many of RGM and Equation of Time offerings, customers can customize certain aspects of the Fat Arrow, including the finishing style on the case, crown and hands.

Visible through the caseback is a manual-wind Sellita SW210-1 finished with Geneva stripes and radially brushed gears. Price: $2,995 (limited edition of 99).

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A. Lange & Söhne

A. Lange & Söhne Cases 1815 Rattrapante in Platinum

A. Lange & Söhne releases its 1815 Rattrapante with a platinum case, adding a new look to the highly complex chronograph with split-seconds mechanism. The German watchmaker had previously offered the watch, its first pure split-seconds model, only cased in its own Honey Gold alloy.

The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante, now in platinum.

The new look also provides a bright silver dial and dark blued hands that add a regal air to the watch. The watch’s classical railway-track minute scale and the large Arabic numerals retain watchmaker’s own historic style, especially apt for a collection named for the birth year of its founder Ferdinand A. Lange.

While the dial appears traditional, its layout is somewhat unusual for an A. Lange & Söhne chronograph. Watchmakers opted to place the 30-minute counter and the subsidiary seconds dial at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, respectively, on the vertical center axis, veering from the more traditional positions at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

The watchmaker’s beautifully decorated caliber L101.2, fully visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, treats the wearer to a micro-engineered show as gears and levers slide and click through elapsed and lap-time measurements, a display centered on the movement’s two column wheels. (See specifications below for details).

A. Lange & Söhne equips the movement with bridges and cocks made of untreated German silver, a screw balance, screwed gold chatons that secure the jewels and a hand-engraved balance cock. And of course all the levers, springs and jumpers are decorated with straight graining while all peripheral chamfers are polished.

A. Lange & Söhne will make the 1815 Rattrapante with a platinum case as a limited edition of 200 pieces. Price: Initially listed at $154,200, the price is now upon request.

 

Specifications: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante

(Ref. 425.025, 200-piece limited edition)

Movement: Lange manufacture caliber L101.2, manually wound, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates made of untreated German silver; balance cock and chronograph bridge engraved by hand. Shock-resistant screw balance; balance spring crafted in-house, frequency 21,600 vph, precision-beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring. Power reserve is 58 hours when fully wound.

Case: 41.2 mm by 12.6mm platinum. Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two chronograph pushers, one pusher to operate the rattrapante (split-second) mechanism.

Dial: Solid silver.

Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator leather with platinum buckle.

Price: Initially listed at $154,200, the price is now upon request.

 

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The Watches

Jacob & Co. to Auction a Tourbillon that Orbited Earth

Three months after a Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue triple-axis tourbillon returned to Earth after seventeen days on the International Space Station, the watch has started another tour, this time in New York City.

The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue.

On July 26 at Sotheby’s the watchmaker is auctioning the watch to benefit the Davidson Institute of Science Education, an Israeli non-profit organization that serves as the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Until then, the watch, a spectacular 50mm sapphire-cased tour-de-force, is available to see at the Bucherer 1888 TimeMachine (from July 11 to July 17), and will be on exhibit at the Sotheby’s New York galleries from July 21 to July 25.

Eytan Stibbe, wearing the Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue.

The Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue was worn on the wrist of philanthropist Eytan Stibbe during the Rakia mission, which returned April 25. Stibbe and the watch orbited Earth 273 times during that period, clocking more than 7 million miles.

The watch features four orbs that are in constant motion: the dial, tourbillon cage, a spherical diamond that reflects the moon, and a magnesium-lacquered globe that reflects the Earth. All are finished in the Bucherer Blue color, meant to reflect its place in the retailer’s collection of custom-made, similarly hued watches made in partnership with a wide range of Swiss watchmakers.

A back view of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Bucherer Blue, showing moon orbit.

“The Astronomia tourbillon is a truly unique, groundbreaking timepiece that elevates the art of watchmaking above the Earth, above time,” says Jacob Arabov, Founder & Chairman of Jacob & Co. “So the very idea of sending this special Astronomia into space, as you can imagine, was very exciting. It’s only fitting that the Astronomia Bucherer Blue ends up revolving around the Earth. The watch had the same viewpoint on us as we usually have on it. This reversal is typical of the way I envision the creation of timepieces.”

The Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer Blue (left) and the new EpicX Bucherer Blue.

EpicX Blue launches

The EpicX Bucherer Blue Edition

Along with the Astronomia tourbillon auction, Jacob & Co. and Bucherer are also launching the EpicX Bucherer Blue Edition, a manual-wind skeleton watch inspired by the International Space Station mission.

This watch, a limited edition of eighteen, will be available exclusively in the U.S. at Bucherer (pricing coming soon). It features a titanium caseback with an engraving of an astronaut, clad in a spacesuit and helmet, eyeing the Earth from space.

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The Watches

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon Shines With Diamonds

Arnold & Son expands its much-heralded Perpetual Moon collection with a new edition that features a brilliant blue mother-of-pearl dial shimmering within a new, diamond-set 38mm red gold case. And while this addition to the collection features the Swiss watchmaker’s smallest caliber, it powers one of the larger moonphase displays available.

The new Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Gold Moonlight.

The new Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Gold Moonlight features a richly decorated evening sky dial framed with a diamond-set bezel that echoes more diamonds used as hour-markers and on the crown and lugs.

All told, you’ll find 138 diamonds (2.61 carats) glittering on the watch, reflecting light that complements the SuperLuminova-set moon, made more realistic with hand-painted shadows. The Ursa Major and Cassiopeia constellations complete the scene nearby.

The Arnold & Son manual-wind caliber A&S1612 inside the collection is the watchmaker’s smallest, measuring 29.4 mm in diameter so that it perfectly fits the watch’s new 38mm by 10.44mm case.

The beautifully finished manually wound movement, smaller than the A&S1512 found inside the 42mm Perpetual Moon series, still packs a impressive technical punch with a power reserve of ninety hours. And like those larger movements, the new model also boasts accuracy for 122 years – if the watch is kept wound.

Price: $50,300.

 

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The Watches

Inside Torsten Nagengast’s Extreme Collection

By Steve Huyton

Even though I’ve never met Torsten Nagengast in person we have been friends for several years. It started back in 2013 when I featured his ‘Unique Repeater Watch 18k Diamonds’ on my website. That particular model is a unique 1/1 piece that is powered by a LeCoultre caliber from 1908.

I was massively impressed to discover Torsten is a black belt master, fourteen times regional and four times German Champion in Kickboxing. He has also won the bronze medal at the World Championships.

This competitive spirit was the catalyst for a really exciting project called Extreme, which he conceived around 2016. After years of fastidious research and development, the timepieces are now ready to hit the market.

The Firefly, from Torsten Nagengast’s Extreme Project.

At this stage, I should give context and explain Torsten has also worked in the automotive industry for years. Within this period he has collaborated with prestigious clients such as BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. Ultimately this experience was the catalyst for the Extreme project. Torsten’s vision for this watch was to create something special constructed from cutting edge lightweight materials.

For example, he uses a case constructed from forged carbon and a multi-layered dial from carbon fiber. However, the most ambitious part of the project was to create an in house mechanical hand-winding movement from anodized aluminum.

Richard Mille has been creating these types of timepieces for several years. Most notably their collaborative series with tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Unfortunately (due to price point) most people would have to sell their homes and live in the car to afford them. Torsten was very keen to make a similar style watch that is also highly accessible. While this Firefly example is a one-off watch, Extreme watches like it are priced at around $2,300.

Carbon composites

Early on in the process Torsten and I realized there was a certain symmetry and our respective paths were aligned. As well as being a multi-published award-winning author, I’m also an industrial designer. I’ve created numerous watches from different carbon composites that have previously not been used in the industry.

I spoke in detail to Torsten about these creations and we agreed it would be mutually beneficial to co-create a watch. The result is a unique version of the Extreme called the Firefly.

What makes this timepiece so special is the vibrant orange carbon composite case. This complements the orange chapter ring and small second counter showcased on the multi-layered carbon fiber dial.

For Torsten Nagengast, Extreme is far more than just a watch brand. It combines three of his passions, which are automotive technology, exercise and horology. A few years ago Torsten (by his own admission) was approaching middle age as an unfit, workaholic. Extreme symbolizes a renewed lust for life.

From a consumer perspective, it’s also a win-win scenario because they can get a really cool watch, which utilizes state of the art lightweight materials. From an aesthetic point of view, it also is very successful and will appeal to a broad demographic.

Steve Huyton is an industrial designer, illustrator and author who publishes Total Design Reviews.

 

 

 

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