TAG Heuer launches a special edition, gold-cased Carrera chronograph with a debut dial design that echoes the famed Heuer reference 1158 CHN. Collectors might also spy a two-tone color palette of the John Player Special livery from Formula 1 in the 1970s and 1980s.
The new 18-karat gold TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph sports a 42mm yellow gold case with matching gold pushers and crown. Its impressive black sunray brushed dial plays nicely with prominent gilded dial elements. The most spectacular of these elements are the two gilded gold chronograph sub-dials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. TAG Heuer also plates the hands and indexes with matching yellow gold to heighten the retro luxury factor of the entire piece.
Through the clear sapphire back TAG Heuer makes visible its own Calibre Heuer 02, which is decorated with a customized black oscillating mass. With a vertical clutch and column wheel, the movement provides a power reserve of an impressive eighty hours. Finally, TAG Heuer matches the gold watch with a black alligator strap with a gold pin buckle.
When I decided to write my book, ‘Timepieces, a Lifelong Love and Passion,’ I made a commitment to give away proceeds from book sales. Naturally, since I’m passionate about watches, I thought that I should look into donating to an organization within this field. After some research, I found something quite interesting.
In 1945, Joseph Bulova’s son Arde founded The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking. Arde Bulova “wished to repay, in some small measure, the sacrifice and service of returning disabled veterans after the Second World War.”
The goal of the school was to provide training and rehabilitation for these heroes. The watchmaking school helped train an entire generation of American watchmakers — entirely tuition-free. I found this to be a very honorable endeavor but I was not sure if the organization was still in operation.
After further research, I discovered that the original Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking closed in 1993. However, it was revived a few years ago and renamed the ‘Veterans Watchmaker Initiative’ or VWI.
The home of the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative in Odessa, Delaware.
The goal of VWI remains the same: to provide tuition-free training, support, and referral services to wounded veterans returning from war.
Since I greatly admire this initiative, I decided that the money from my book sales would be donated to VWI to help train these true heroes — to give hope not only to the students but to their families and communities too.
The Team
After almost three years between writing the book, publishing it, and selling it, I was ready to go and meet with the organization to make my first donation. I was also curious to meet the team behind VWI.
My meeting was set up for a personal visit at their location in Odessa, Delaware, where I was to meet Sam Cannan, the head of the organization, and some of the staff, teachers, and students. I did not know what to expect, but now I can say it was a wonderful experience.
While the school’s philosophy is no doubt beautiful on paper, meeting veterans Cameron Garrish, Ben Herring, Tanner Caraway, Marc Clodfelter, Joey Tucker, Eric Perciado, Chris Tullis and listening to their stories was very emotional, honorable, humbling, and rewarding.
As you can imagine, all these guys have had a tough life — before, during, and after the wars they served in. I could feel each of them wanting to succeed in becoming a watchmaker and looking forward to starting a new life.
I could sense as much pride from the students as from the teachers.
I attended a class with teacher Don Morton and witnessed the spirit of the team, as well as the individual attention given to each student.
Don Morton,VWI Watchmaking Instructor
The school has a high percentage of success and most students are hired even before graduating and getting their certifications. Some graduates will take their first career steps at prestigious companies like Tiffany & Co.
Sam Cannan, VWI Watchmaking Instructor.
In addition to the training operation, VWI is also a repair center for Bulova watches. A new building is currently being prepared to stock and manage all the watch parts inventory.
Sam Cannan and his team, including Debbie Katzmire, worked tirelessly to secure and renovate the building. They also managed to source the equipment and tools, most of which are donated by universities, from watch brands, and individuals.
The organization is the fantastic result of a team working to make goals a reality. The VWI also benefits from board members like Michael Benavente (Managing Director of Bulova and Accutron) and Diane James (Director of Strategic Brands at Watchbox), who bring their watch industry experience and expertise.
The watch industry needs more watchmakers, and an organization like the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative can solve this shortage problem. The school is currently training seven people to become watchmakers, though this number could easily be increased with more support from the watch community and industry.
The Veteran Watchmaker Initiative is a very transparent organization; I even saw their statements to see where funds are allocated and the cost of operations.
During my visit I saw a vibrant and refreshing company dedicated to the good of our society and its people — and this was a wonderful feeling. It also reminds us that veterans have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and our contribution will never fully pay back their service.
Laurent Martinez is the proprietor of Laurent Fine Watches, Greenwich, Connecticut. Read more by him at blog.laurentfinewatches.com or visit his site at www.laurentfinewatches.com.
Watch and jewelry retailer Wempe celebrates the 35th anniversary of its U.S. President Ruediger “Rudy” Albers with a special exhibition of watches from Wempe’s museum collection in Hamburg.
On exhibit during October at Wempe in New York, the celebratory selection includes vintage Wempe timepieces, watches from the 1980s and co-branded limited editions.
Wempe collaborations with Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Chopard.
Albers started his tenure with the German-based retailer in 1987 as a master watchmaker at the Wempe store in Hamburg and transferred to its New York location a year later.
Ruediger ‘Rudy’ Albers, President of Wempe U.S.
Named president of Wempe U.S. in 2002, Albers has been instrumental in the long-running success of Wempe in the United States. The retailer in the U.S. earns more than 100 million dollars in annual sales and has been the company’s top boutique worldwide for the past twenty-five years.
Inside the Wempe-operated Rolex boutique in New York.
Under Albers’ leadership the U.S. arm of the brand has launched an ecommerce platform and has expanded its New York boutique three times to create its current 5,500-square-feet space on Fifth Avenue. In addition, Albers spearheaded the opening of the first Rolex stand-alone U.S. boutique in 2012. Operated by Wempe, the store is inside the Rolex Building in New York, also on Fifth Avenue.
Wempe Vintage stainless steel, antimagnetic wristwatch with blue-green center gradient dial.
“Rudy is simply the heart of Wempe New York,” says Kim-Eva Wempe, Owner and Managing Director of Wempe Jewelers. “He has the keen ability to make anyone walking through the door feel like family and leads his team, many of whom have been with him for at least a decade, some even two, in that same manner.”
Wempe Vintage Sea-Cup, automatic, anti-magnetic, and shock-resistant stainless steel diving watch with a second crown to set diving time on a diving bezel inside of the case.
The celebratory watches on exhibit at Wempe include timepieces from Patek Philippe, Chopard, A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier and Wempe.
Wempe Vintage Zeitmeister stainless steel manual chronograph with silver dial.
Zurich-based auction house Ineichen Auctioneers will offer an enticing series of auctions featuring complicated watches during the final quarter of 2022.
First up is an auction on October 29 that features more than thirty watches and will showcase tourbillons and open-worked (skeletonizied) watches. Part two of the series, slated for December 3, will focus on watches with chronograph and date functions.
Notable lots for the October auction include a Vacheron Constantin Les Complications Tourbillon Ref. 30050, an MB&F LM Perpetual, a Girard-Perregaux Laureato Flying Tourbillon Skeleton, a Daniel Roth Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, several stunning Jaeger-LeCoultre complicated pieces, an IWC minute repeater and a pair of Breguet beauties, among others.
At the October 29 auction: An IWC Schaffhausen Portuguese Minute Repeater Squelette Limited Edition.
“Despite their mechanical complexity, I think tourbillon watches and skeletonized pieces are the most visually pleasing. This auction is purely about joy-inducing aesthetics for me,” says Ineichen Auctioneers CEO Artemy Lechbinsky.
Here’s a peek at a few of the top lots for the October 29 auction.
Vacheron Constantin Les Complications Tourbillon (Ref. 30050/000P-7605)
This early and rare tourbillon (dated 1990-2000) from Vacheron Constantin is cased in platinum 950 with a diameter of 38mm, a thickness of 11.5mm and a sapphire caseback.
Silvered gold dial with Clous de Paris guilloché pattern, Caliber 1760, hand-wound, double barrel. Functions: indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand on tourbillon shaft, power reserve at 12 o’clock. Black leather strap, Vacheron Constantin half Maltese cross-shaped platinum pin buckle. Estimate: CHF 30,000-40,000.
An impressive limited-edition rose gold tourbillon and chronograph wristwatch. Estimated production period: 2013–2019. Case made of 18-karat rose gold, diameter 43mm and 13.4mm thick frames anopen-worked dial, sapphire caseback. Caliber PF354 is manually wound with power reserve up to 65 hours. Functions: indication of hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, tourbillon at 6 o’clock, chronograph with central seconds hand and 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock. Original Parmigiani Fleurier black leather strap, made by Hermes, Parmigiani Fleurier 18-karat rose gold pin buckle. Limited edition of 30 pieces. Estimate: CHF 30,000 – 40,000.
The complexity of this fully integrated perpetual calendar developed by MB&F and Stephen McDonnell limits the production. The 581-component in-house movement was developed to eliminate the drawbacks of conventional perpetual calendars. It is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring that dates are not skipped or gears jammed. Adjuster pushers automatically deactivate when the calendar changes.
This watch forms part of a collection limited to twenty-five pieces that was launched in 2020. It is presented in a yellow gold case, which contrasts beautifully with the blue detail on the dial. High-end hand finishes that respect the 19th-century style can be admired throughout. The watch is fastened with a black leather strap with 18-karat yellow and white gold MB&F triple folding clasp produced by G&F Chatelain.
The numbered edition 42mm Laureato Flying Tourbillon Skeleton, first introduced in 2017, is produced exclusively in 18-karat gold. It is arguably one of the finest complicated luxury sports watches presented on an integrated bracelet.
Caliber GP09520-0001, which powers this model, is an extremely rare movement for Girard-Perregaux. It is equipped with a flying tourbillon, devoid of a bridge on the dial side, and features a proprietary design normally with three gold bridges. The GP09520-0001 is produced exclusively in the skeletonized version and was the brand’s first self-winding flying tourbillon movement. Estimate: CHF 60,000 to 80,000.
Daniel Roth Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date ‘XV years’ Limited Edition (Ref. 199.Y.70.011.CN.BD)
This watch showcases a rare combination of complications: a perpetual calendar with two retrograde indicators (date and leap year), tourbillon and automatic winding functionality, which are powered by the DR740 caliber. All Ref. 199 sub-references were produced in very limited quantities and precious metals including platinum as seen in the current lot. It was launched in 2004 as a jubilee limited edition to commemorate the brand’s 15th anniversary.
Early Daniel Roth watches are known for their elaborate dials decorated with different guilloché motifs that highlight the placement of his signature blued steel hands as well as double ellipse-shaped Ellipsocurvex cases and haute horlogerie movement finishes.
This piece is one of the first generation (Mk1) releases of the Ref. 199 design. It features a solid dial as well as a guilloché small seconds subdial with three “XV” embossed inscriptions woven into the pattern. Such decoration is atypical of the Daniel Roth style. The presence of a tourbillon is indicated only by the inscription “Tourbillon” on the subdial because it is only visible through the sapphire caseback. There is also an engraved inscription “XV years” on the rim of the caseback. Estimate: CHF 30,000 to 40,000.
Breguet Classique Grande Complication Tourbillon ‘Senza B’ (Ref. 5357PT/1B/9V6)
Thisrare and fine platinum tourbillon wristwatch was most probably produced in 2012. Case made of platinum 950, it measures 39mm by 8.9mm, with a signed crown, sapphire caseback, 18k gold silver-plated dial with hand-made guilloché decoration, recessed hours and minutes sub-dial, Breguet double secret signature between XI and XII and XII and I. The hand-wound caliber 558.1 is hand-engraved with Breguet hairspring. Functions – hours, minutes, tourbillon, small seconds hand on the tourbillon shaft. Black leather strap with Breguet platinum 950 double folding clasp.
This Classique Grande Complication Tourbillon Ref. 5357 was introduced in 2002 as a larger 39mm alternative to the original 35mm Tourbillon Ref. 3357 (initially 3350). Unlike reference 3357, Ref. 5357 featured a new single-layer solid-gold and silvered dial, decorated by hand-made guilloché pattern, with a recessed hours and minutes sub-dial and a round tourbillon aperture, but the same original Breguet’s hand-wound tourbillon caliber 558 (version 558.1).
The reverse side of the movement deserves special attention – it is exquisitely and lavishly engraved by hand, and, moreover, there exists at least five basic engraving generations. The engraving of caliber 558 is done by hand and although it follows one of the 5 basic designs, the engraving is different each time in small details, and therefore any watch is essentially a unique piece. Estimate: CHF 30,000 – 40,000.
There are more than a few iconic American companies that can trace their success to one product in particular. There’s Ford’s Model T, The Coca-Cola Company’s Coke, and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.
In the watch world, there’s Accutron, which was a revolutionary electronic watch with a tuning fork that Bulova debuted in 1960. Accutron today operates as its own brand.
Before writing this article, my knowledge about Joseph Bulova was limited. However, after diving deep into researching him, I have come to realize that Joseph Bulova was an innovative entrepreneur who not only loved to invent and visualize the future but also was guided by a strong sense of ethics and values.
Joseph Bulova emigrated from Bohemia (known today as the Czech Republic) to New York in 1870. As a fully trained watchmaker, he landed a job at Tiffany & Co. but left five years later to open a small jewelry store on Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. It’s interesting to note that before dedicating his life to wristwatches, Joseph Bulova already had a few inventions under his belt, including making jewelry improvements to earrings, bracelets and rings.
Joseph Bulova understood time better than most and was always one step ahead. During his time in America the country was in its golden age of industry and progress thanks to railroads, manufacturing, electricity and light. It was the perfect era for Joseph Bulova to make his mark on timekeeping design and production.
By 1912, Bulova established a plant in Bienne, Switzerland, dedicated to the production of watch components and their assembly into jeweled movements. Although he was driven by the values of quality before quantity and perfection before production, Joseph Bulova was an early pioneer of mass and standardized production of watches, which he sought to fulfill his vision of putting an affordable watch on every wrist in the United States.
Bulova was one of the first brands to recognize the shift from pocket watches to wristwatches even before World War I. This was in large part due to Joseph’s 17-year-old office assistant, John Ballard, who would later become acting president of the company for almost fifty years.
Fifth Avenue
By 1927, the Bulova Watch Company moved to 580 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, complete with the Bulova Observatory on the roof — the first Observatory ever built on the top of a skyscraper. The Bulova School of Watchmaking is established in 1946. In 1948, Bulova develops the phototimer, which combined a photo-finish camera with an electronic timing mechanism. Bulova then introduced the unprecedented Accutron 214 electronic watch in 1960. In 1970, Bulova unveiled the 666 Devil Diver.
Bulova is associated with so many “firsts” in the industry, including the first radio clock, the first Dust-Tight Protector (to keep dust out of the watch movement), the first national radio commercial (1926), and the first television commercial (1941).
Bulova was also no stranger to pop culture with banners at the first Beatle concert in the United States. The Frank Sinatra Show musical variety show that ran in the early 1950s was also known as Bulova Watch Time. Earlier than this even, Bulova understood the importance of associating watches with celebrities of the era, like pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller (who later became an actor famous for playing Tarzan), and General of the Army Omar Bradley.
In Space
The Bulova company was also involved with NASA, participating in forty-six space missions). In fact, the U.S. Air Force purchased an Accutron Astronaut watch for every pilot in the X-15 project, which ran from the late-1950s until the late-1960s. More recently, astronaut Dave Scott’s Bulova chronograph, which he wore on the Moon, sold for nearly $1.6 million at RR Auction.
Astronaut David Scott wore this Bulova chronograph on the moon during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. It sold for nearly $1.6 million in 2019.
Bulova was involved in many other applications such as developing timing instruments, clocks, and altimeters. However, some of Bulova’s work remains unknown as Bulova worked with the U.S. government on plenty of top-secret military projects.
Archives
Carl Rosen at Bulova’s museum in the Empire State Building.
Six years ago, Jeffrey Cohen, CEO of Citizen Watch America, called up Carl Rosen, a trained engineer and the former COO of Bulova, and archivist Julie Loftus and proposed creating a Bulova archive, complete with vintage watches, ads, memorabilia, sketches, designs, patents, marketing materials, and other ephemera.
The archive contains physical recordings, as well as digital electronics files stored in a database. Not only will this work serve to keep the Bulova brand alive forever, but it also lends inspiration to the current design, marketing, and sales teams. There’s plenty of material to inspire reissues or modern interpretations of vintage Bulova classics.
Furthermore, the Bulova museum is charged with showing the history and evolution of this important watch brand. Items are presented to represent key moments of both Bulova and American history. I was amazed to see unique and iconic pieces like one of the oldest Bulova watches with an open back, as well a watch that once belonged to Elvis Presley.
Today, the company has more than 2,000 physical items like advertisements, books, memorabilia and packaging, in addition to 6,000 digital documents like scans of Bulova annual reports, catalogs, commercials, and images. If you look at the packages, names of the watch lines, and advertisements, you quickly begin to see the history of the United States unfolding in front of you.
It’s clear that Bulova is an integral part of American history.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Bulova museum at the Bulova offices in the Empire State Building, I highly encourage it! Carl is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his work.
Bulova and Accutron have teamed with their headquarters, New York City’s Empire State Building, to light the building in Accutron’s signature green hue in celebration of Accutron’s anniversary on October 25.
Rosen is the encyclopedia of Bulova and he knows the ins and outs, the origins of everything, the timing, the advertisements, the why of this design or packaging, alongside a plethora of interesting anecdotes and charming stories.
If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of Bulova, I also recommend two beautiful books published by the brand. The first is “Bulova, A History of Firsts” and the second is “Bulova, A Legacy of Innovation.” A lot of documents are also accessible via the Bulova and Accutron websites.
I commend Julie and Carl for their amazing work to preserve the history of Bulova.
Laurent Martinez is the proprietor of Laurent Fine Watches, Greenwich, Connecticut. Read more by him at blog.laurentfinewatches.com or visit his store’s site at www.laurentfinewatches.com
The most spectacular of these elements are the two gilded gold chronograph sub-dials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. TAG Heuer also plates the hands and indexes with matching yellow gold to heighten the retro luxury factor of the entire piece.
Silvered gold dial with Clous de Paris guilloché pattern, Caliber 1760, hand-wound, double barrel. Functions: indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand on tourbillon shaft, power reserve at 12 o’clock. Black leather strap, Vacheron Constantin half Maltese cross-shaped platinum pin buckle. Estimate: CHF 30,000-40,000.
Parmigiani Fleurier Tourbillon Chronograph Tondagraph Limited Edition (Ref. PFH236)
Functions: indication of hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, tourbillon at 6 o’clock, chronograph with central seconds hand and 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock. Original Parmigiani Fleurier black leather strap, made by Hermes, Parmigiani Fleurier 18-karat rose gold pin buckle. Limited edition of 30 pieces. Estimate: CHF 30,000 – 40,000.
