Esquire big watch book autumn winter 2015

LINKED TO MOTION FROM € 950.-The beautiful Swiss watch is now smart and connected, powered by MotionX®... The watch is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement and offers hours,

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82Tiffany & Co: The sleeping American giant awakes

83Meet Audemars Piguet’s go to guy

84Lang & Heyne: the pride of German watchmaking

85The mind behind the Swiss anti-counterfeiting unit

86Chronoswiss’s new dawn

87Bovet Fleurier: the kingdom that Raffy built

88Chopard, the next chapter awaits

89S.T.Dupont’s personal touch

ZURICH — PARIS — LONDON — NEW YORK — BEIJING — HONG KONG — SINGAPORE — NEW DELHI — DUBAI — MOSCOW TISSOTWATCHES.COM

everyday

extraordinary.

TISSOT CHEMIN DES

TOURELLES AUTOMATIC.

A VERY SPECIAL PIECE THAT TAKES

ITS NAME FROM TISSOT’S HOME

ADDRESS IN LE LOCLE, THE CRADLE

OF THE WATCH INDUSTRY IN

LINKED

TO MOTION

FROM €

950.-The beautiful Swiss watch is now smart

and connected, powered by MotionX®

COOL HAND LUKEWhy former golf number one Luke Donald and Rolex are a perfect match

LIKE FOR LIKE?

Selling watches in the

8 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

T H I S W A Y I N

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Tell us a story Storytelling is the oldest form of human communication, and we here at Esquire love nothing more than an expertly told tale

We have to, it’s the day job Weaving together prose, pace, impact, detail and direction into a succinct, and carefully thought-through yarn,

is what makes us tick.

And, while we are dedicated to our craft,

we are by no means unique In fact, it is that same dedication to storytelling that underlines the watch industry ethos Every timepiece has a story and every brand works tirelessly to ensure that it carves out its own unique storytelling niche: Omega went to the moon; Panerai developed pieces for the Italian navy; Breitling specialises in aviation chronometres It all forms part of a story that is wrapped up in a tiny little machine ticking away on your wrist.

Because here’s the big truth: no one needs a nice watch, but

we sure as anything would like one We are only too happy to reel off the prepared anecdotes on our ancestral heirloom, or the limited-edition piece we got for a steal at auction, or even that

same classic Casio calculator that “Michael J Fox wore in Back

to the Future” We want to because it is what we do Tell stories

And, after all, who doesn’t want to be part of a well-told story.

C H R I S

A N D E R S O N

A regular contributor to Esquire’s Big Watch Book, horology enthusiast, Chris Anderson, compiled “The Time Lords“ feature on page 80, interviewing a diverse range of some of the most interesting and influential people across the industry.

TA R I Q M A L I K

As the owner and co-founder of DIFC’s vintage watch boutique, Momentum, Tariq is no stranger to the Big Watch Book Not only did he co-host our last watch event (page 10), but in his piece “The aura of Rolex”

on page 44, he explains why that company holds a special place in his heart.

V I V I E N N E BA L L A

Hungarian-born photographer Vivienne Balla spends her time jetting between London, Milan and Tokyo for work

Esquire managed to snag her while she was in Dubai

to shoot this issue’s cover story, which was shot in The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi

Tradition GMT watch, Dhs146,200, Breguet

at Rivoli Prestige All available at The Galleria

on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi

1 0 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

I N C O M I N G

M A Y 3 1 , Q B A R A , WA F I , D U B A I

THE ESQUIRE WATCH DINNER

Esquire Middle East hosted its inaugural watch collectors’ dinner at Qbara in May,

held in association with vintage watch boutique, Momentum

The 20 dinner guests were handpicked by Esquire and Momentum, each bringing with them a personal watch with a story behind it The guest list demonstrated a considerable depth of knowledge of the craft behind watchmaking and the appreciation for well-made timepieces

The evening featured welcoming speeches from Esquire’s Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Lawrence,

Esquire’s watch columnist Sam Truman and Momentum’s founder, Tariq Malik Modern Arabic

cuisine was served for dinner, which was followed by a Q&A session where guests shared the

fascinating stories behind their watches

Based in DIFC, Dubai, Momentum specialises in sourcing vintage and classic timepieces

and it is home to a wealth of expertise on all things timepiece related Founded by Tariq Malik,

Adam Roan and Anas Halabi, the store features a curated collection of limited edition and iconic

timepieces and also offers a repair service

Luxury gifts and fragrances were provided by Penhaligon’s, while Qbara laid on a

contemporary Arab spread in the restaurant’s private dining room

TARIQ MALIK (LEFT)

FROM MOMENTUM

WATCHES WITH ESQUIRE

WATCH COLUMNIST SAM

TRUMAN (RIGHT)

ESQUIRE PUBLISHER, LISA ROKNY (RIGHT), AND GUEST

ESQUIRE IN-CHIEF JEREMY LAWRENCE

The irony is of course that Pininfarina was directly responsible for the three previously mentioned Ferrari models, all of which are now royalty of the motoring world.

Founded by Battista “Pinin” Farina

in 1930 – now run by his grandson Paolo – for 85 years the Italian design company has played an enormous role

in designing some of the most iconic

cars in modern history But the last 30 years, has seen the company’s creative brilliance turn to everything including stadiums, buses, yachts and private jets It has left its design mark on architecture, product design and even the victor’s trophy for the Dubai Tour, the region’s annual cycling race And, yes, before you get ahead of us, it has also dipped its toes into the world of horology

In 2010, Pininfarina announced its partnership with Swiss watchmaker Bovet with the goal to create new, exclusive and luxury watches

Never being ones to start slowly, the first piece was the Tourbillon Ottanta created to celebrate the design company’s 80th anniversary The piece received much applause as it not only looked stunning, but it incorporated the watchmaking techniques imbued with

a unique historical heritage personified

by the House of Bovet

Since then the partnership has strengthened, with the latest limited edition releases from the Bovet Pininfarina Collection reinforcing the Italian company’s connection with the motoring world

The Sergio Chronograph (right), conceived as a tribute to Battista’s son, is crafted in shot-blasted stainless steel in the brand’s much-loved 45mm Amadeo Convertible case (and can transform from wristwatch to pocket watch and table clock) The watch is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement and offers hours, minutes, small seconds, and split-second chronograph function with 30-minute counter What’s more is that only 250 pieces were produced

While you still might be more familiar with Pininfarina’s motoring collaborations, you certainly won’t forget its on-going collaboration with Bovet any time soon

Bovet is available at Ahmed Seddiqi

& Sons

SUCCESS

BY DESIGN

BOVET AND PININFARINA, THE

PERFECT MARRIAGE OF DESIGN

AND HAUTE HOROLOGY

MR SERGIO FARINA: SHARP

SUITS, BEAUTIFUL CARS

P I N I N F A R I N A I C O N S

1 Maserati Quattroporte V: The fifth generation model hearlded Maserati’s triumphant return from financial ruin

2 Alfa Romeo Spider: The radical, yet-timeless design debuted in 1961, but economic problems kept it from reaching the market until 1966

retro-3 Ferrari F40: The fastest street-legal production car of the late ’80s, at the not insubstantial price of $400K

3

1 4 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

I N C O M I N G

IT’S TIME FOR

BUSINESS

CASIO’S EQB-510D IS CRAMMED WITH ENOUGH

TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE ANY BUSINESS TRIP

THAT MUCH EASIER

Regardless of your industry, the business world never

stops Not only is it important to know what time

it is in different countries and markets, but to use technology to help make it a hassle-free calculation

That goal is something that has stoked the fires over

at Casio, with the introduction of its stylish EQB series, which can

connect to your smartphone Via Bluetooth, the watch connects to

your smartphone and synchronises to local time (across 300 cities

around the world) at the press of a button Very simple and useful

4

Bluetooth connected

to your smartphone

via Casio Watch+

App means the time

3

Tough Solar System generates power

to ensure there is a stable operation of advanced functions such as Dual Dial World Time

1

Should you lose your phone you can activate an alarm via your watch

2

Activate Flight Mode

at the touch of a button

6

World Time dial that connects to any of

300 cities around the world

In 2005, I resigned as managing

director of Harry Winston and put all of my savings into starting up my own company, MB&F I invested Dhs3.6 million and thought that would be enough Apparently, it wasn’t

What became quickly obvious is that when you create crazy movements like we wanted to do, then things tend

to get very expensive, and quickly

Later that year, I managed to secure funding from retailers in Singapore,

LA, Paris, Tokyo, Kuwait and in the UAE with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons They all agreed to pay me in advance, which was great because I now had money,

I was working with great people, and creating the first horological machine, the HM1 And then in May 2006, the world fell apart

The supplier I was using was facing financial problems (as were most people), the movements weren’t being

THE STORYTELLER

NOT ONLY IS MAX BÜSSER A GENIUS WHEN IT COMES TO TIMEPIECES,

BUT HE’S ALSO PRETTY GOOD AT TELLING A STORY HERE HE EXPLAINS

HOW HIS COMPANY, MB&F, MADE ITS FIRST TIMEPIECE WITH A LITTLE

HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS

delivered and by January 2007, when

we were already four months late, the supplier told me that he was not even going to assemble the movement! I am

an engineer, not a watchmaker, and he said “We don’t want to assemble your movements That’s your problem.”

I had no idea what to do It was

2007, and tourbillons, minute repeaters and the most complicated movements were flying off shelves How on earth was I going to launch something to compete with that, when there wasn’t

a watchmaker who had enough time for a chat, let along to assemble such a complicated movement?

At the time, I was driving down the Jura Mountains in Europe with

my friend, an incredible independent watchmaker, called Peter Speake-Marin He took out his phone and started to call in every favour he was owed from the most talented independent watchmakers in the

business They had never heard of me, and didn’t care that in six months

I could be bankrupt, but they agreed to help because of him

Ten days later we gathered in a workshop and got to work There was me, the engineer who helped me develop the movement, Laurent Besse, and four watchmakers who had given

up their very busy schedules to help

me out Our main issue was that we were missing 50 of the 465 component kits, and of the ones we did have, the assembly plans were missing because the supplier refused to give it to us It was like having a massive incomplete jigsaw puzzle, with no idea what was missing or what the parts looked like!The solution was to meet every two months, and work tirelessly together to try and solve this puzzle We had to do this otherwise my company would’ve gone bankrupt before I even made a single watch

The whole process was like one of those movies where the cavalry arrives

at the end to save the day The money

I had was enough to last until June, and that happened to be the month we had agreed to deliver the first two pieces Thankfully, we managed it, and I will always be indebted to that little help from my friends

MB&F’s newly launched Legacy Machine Perpetual timepiece

1 6 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

I N C O M I N G

Why did Tag Heuer

want to create the Connected smartwatch?

Our brand has stood since 1860 for avant-garde in

Swiss watchmaking art and, as such,

we cannot ignore the smartwatch

Especially as we have an entry price

into our luxury brand of around

$1,200, which, contrary to our higher

price range of $6,000, might feel

the competition of the smartwatch

Meanwhile our average price level

cannot (and will not) face competition

from the smart watch This is because

smartwatches become obsolete,

contrary to the traditional watches

of our ranges that are “eternal” Yes,

in one hundred or one thousand

years, a mechanical watch will still be

repairable and will still work!

Was it a diffi cult decision to make?

No, it was not difficult to make at all

Our message is to be avant-garde and

it belongs to our DNA What was more

difficult a decision was how would

we produce this watch and who would

be the best partners to help us make it

a success

How did your watchmakers tackle

this modern project with their

traditional know-how?

Our general manager and director

of research and development,

Mr Guy Semon, happens to be a

professional navy pilot and professor

of mathematics As such he was

immediately capable of seizing the

importance and technology of the

smart watch He pushed us to enter this

new technology, but through the giants

of Silicon Valley That’s how he came

up with the idea to look for a double

partnership: hardware with Intel and

software with Google We believe that

it is the ultimate position for Tag Heuer

to be the best in this new market

Did your watchmakers enjoy this

new partnership?

We enjoyed working with both Intel

and Google We learned from their

culture as much as they learned from

ours They are more

technology-oriented, while we are of course much

more high-end, luxury-orientated As such we believe we have a very fruitful and promising partnership

Is this the start of a new trend for Tag Heuer?

We are primarily a luxury brand, we will always have a large majority of our production and watches in the upper-end segment, and will never give up our DNA and message Nevertheless, we are willing to promote the smart watch

as an exceptional luxury product

Is the Tag Heuer Connected aimed

at a new customer, or was it created with the brand’s existing fans in mind?

We believe that it will definitively be for a new customer, especially coming from the new generation As such it is quite interesting for us strategically,

as we are going to conquer an additional market

Has it been a diffi cult process to integrate the computational side

of things with the Tag Heuer watch design and mechanism or was it easier than you thought?

No, it has not been difficult, because from the first minute we had no other choice than to integrate it into the Tag Heuer DNA If we had not been able to achieve this, then the project would have ended There is no other choice for Tag Heuer than to have all its DNA, all its watchmaking emotion and flair, incorporated into the Connected watch One should not see from a certain distance the difference between

a Carrera Heuer 01 and a Carrera Wearable 01

Because Intel is building the engine and those parts are not binge assembled in Switzerland, the watch will not be able to carry the “Swiss made” trademark Is that correct?

“We are primarily a luxury brand and will never give

up our DNA

Nevertheless,

we are willing

to promote the smart watch as

an exceptional luxury product”

JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

THE LEGENDARY CEO OF TAG HEUER HAS EMBARKED ON HIS GREATEST PROJECT YET

– BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE SWISS WATCH INDUSTRY AND SILICON VALLEY

Yes, the micro-processor will be Intel

and we will put on back of the watch:

“Intel Inside” instead of “Swiss made”

How important is the “Swiss made”

badge to consumers?

For a traditional mechanical watch,

“Swiss made” is a criteria of reliability

and quality For a connected watch,

Android from Google and Intel Inside

are the criteria of quality and reliability

Is there a danger that without

this mark, it could diminish the

smartwatch product?

Yes without “Intel Inside”, it could

diminish the smartwatch product

Is the idea and heritage of being

“Swiss made” compatible with the

idea of the smart watch?

Yes, as long as all the traditional criteria

of “Swiss-ness” are in the product, in its

quality and in its service

Do you think that having a connected

product will change the Tag Heuer

brand in any way?

Yes, in the sense that it will drive new

customers to the brand New customers

coming to Tag Heuer could be the

biggest asset of the Connected watch

More generally, how are you using

social media to build an audience and

engage a new generation of fans?

Social media is the future If we want to

be part of this future, we must connect

through all the possible communication

tools so that the new generation can

connect to us That’s why we have to

adapt our language, our product, our

philosophy and our concept to this

new generation

You’ve had a rich history in the watch

industry What is one particular

work philosophy you always carry

with you?

I always try to be “first, different

and unique” Any project, product,

concept or idea that comes to me

must fit to those requests And then,

I would add, “all you need is love” If

you have passion for your job, then you

don’t work anymore, you can achieve

everything, and there is “nothing you

can do, that can’t be done” That’s what

I would say and I would add: “Please

don’t push away your doubts, start to

love your doubts and start to believe

in your gut feelings” And last but not

least, “Never hire someone that is

inferior to you, only hire people that are

better than you”

# C O N N E C T E D T O E T E R N I T Y

THE TAG HEUER CONNECTED EXPLAINED The Tag Heuer Connected looks to all intents and purposes like a Carrera The case is 46mm in diameter, made from light but durable grade 2 titanium Completed by a textured black rubber strap (six other colours are available) it has all the elegance, characteristics and level of finish expected from a fine wristwatch, right down to the watch faces that you can choose between That’s because the digital hands and indexes remain visible at all times, even when the watch is in ambient energy-saving mode The most pertinent information from its apps are discretely displayed inside the three counters on the chronograph dial at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock, completely integrated into the watch’s aesthetic environment

But of course this is a full-on smartwatch, engineered with Intel Inside and powered

by Android Wear, so touch the counter in question and it will open the application in full screen mode Apps customised for Tag Heuer include Insiders (lifestyle), GolfShot Pro (golf), RaceChrono Pro (motor racing) and Viewrangers (trailing)

It can stream audio, is equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, has 4 GB of memory, all-day battery life, Google voice control and is water resistant The watch can also be easily synced with Android 4.3+ or iOS 8.2+ and as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection it will remain connected to the cloud even without the phone nearby

The TAG Heuer Connected costs $1,500 and once the two-year warranty expires – by which time the technology will presumably be outmoded – the owner can pay a further

$1,500 to have the microchips replaced with a mechanical movement This means the watch will live on forever – or at least a damned sight longer than an Apple Watch

THE MANY FACES (AND STRAPS) OF THE TAG HEUER CONNECTED

1 8 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

I N C O M I N G

W A T C H B R I E F

F L A T P A C K

Richard Mille has launched a new

timepiece destined to become an icon

of the future, the RM 67-01 Automatic

Extra Flat The innovative piece is the

first tonneau-shaped extra flat watch

by the Swiss brand, and will make its

debut at SIHH in January 2016

Raising the bar for contemporary

watchmaking, other mechanical

aspects of the new timepiece are

equally impressive It combines an

automatic movement CRMA6 design

with the creation of a sense of visual

depth, with the watch coming in at only

3.6mm thick To increase the sensation

of depth, each numeral has been

sculptured out of solid metal and filled

with phosphorescent pigments in order

to provide easy night-time viewing,

another first for the brand

Richard Mille is at The Dubai Mall,

+971 4 339 8666

INTO THE BLUE

Parmigiani Fleurier has given us a sneak peek of its SIHH timepiece, the Tonda Métrographe A new addition

to the Tonda Métro Collection, the timepiece comes on a steel strap (left, Dhs55,000) or with a Hermès leather strap (Dhs50,000) both with a 40mm dial The Métro collection comes equipped with PF310 and PF315 calibres on the Tonda Métropolitaine and Tonda Métrographe respectively, with the latest watch bringing

an urban feel to the already exceptional chronograph.

Released in January 2016

T I M E O N T H E G O

Breitling has created a limited edition chronograph inspired by Bentley’s rarest and most dynamic member of the Continental family, the GT3-R Like the GT3-R, just 300 models of the exclusive timepiece have been manufactured worldwide, with 42 pieces allocated specifically to the Middle East to accompany the 42 GT3-R models dedicated to the region

The exclusive Breitling for Bentley GT3-R timepiece features the Bentley GT3-R logo on a black carbon dial and comes equipped with the knurled motif on the bezel, a nod to the famous Bentley radiator grilles

Additionally, in reference to the 300 Bentley Continental GT3-R cars, the mention one of 300 is engraved on the case back

of this special model, which is perfect for this market

Available at Breitling, The Dubai Mall, +971 4 388 2281

C O M P I L E D BY K AT E H A Z E L L

Breitling for Bentley GT3-R

S T Y L I S H S H O C K

If you want high performance plus function, Casio has added the latest watch to the MR-G Series in its G-Shock line of shock-resistant watches The luxury MR-G Series incorporates advanced technology and fine metal crafting for the ultimate in toughness, all made with the very finest attention to detail in mind There are only 100 editions of the new G-Shock MRG-G1000RT (left) which features recrystallised Ti64 alloy, one of the traditional techniques represented in Japanese swords

The new watch also houses an advanced timekeeping system that receives both Global Positioning System (GPS) and radio wave time-calibration signals while offering Dual Dial World Time, which simultaneously displays the time in two different cities Perfect for expats keeping one eye on home

Casio is available at GO-Smart, The Dubai Mall, +971 4 434 1255

IN THE NAVY

Concord has added a new Mariner

watch to its collection, with this one

sporting a cobalt blue dial A sartorial

style choice for any situation, the

contemporary and clean timepiece

makes the perfect accessory for the

timeless navy suit, or a weekend wrist

Powered by an ETA Calibre 955.112

quartz movement, the watch also

has an anti-reflective sapphire crystal

face covering a 41mm stainless steel

case The blue 3-hand dial with date

display also features rhodium-plated

indexes with Super-LumiNova for

clear visibility, while the brushed and

polished stainless steel link bracelet is

equipped with a push-button spring

deployment clasp

Concord is available at Ahmed Seddiqi

& Sons

FRENCH FANCY

In January 2016, Louis Vuitton is launching its latest timepiece, the

LV Fifty Five Taking inspiration from the French brand’s legendary trunks, the versatile and contemporary timepiece

is constructed from the same steel and features metal plaques, inspired by the unpickable and patented locks of LV’s exceptional travel luggage

The finely engraved winding crown serves as a subtle reminder

of the heads of the trunk rivets, rooting the watch firmly in the world of Louis Vuitton creations, as well as feature a dial marked with a V: Louis Vuitton’s iconic signature

Available in two sizes, the medium model, resolutely unisex with its 36mm diameter, precisely marks the hours, minutes and seconds thanks to the ETA

2892 self-winding mechanical movement, while the larger, 41mm watch has a self-winding ETA 2893 mechanism with GMT function

Louis Vuitton is at The Dubai Mall, +971 4 330 8060

Swiss watch brand Alpina, owned by Frédérique Constant,

has not only debuted its Alpina Horological Smartwatch for

2016, but has also produced its first in-house chronograph

movement The exclusive 233-part AL-760 flyback

mechanism is said to have taken up to three years to

develop and debuts in the Alpiner 4 Manufacture Flyback

Chronograph seen here, for Dhs21,090

Alpina is available at Mohammad Rasool Khoory & Sons,

Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE +971 2 681 86 16

T I M E A N D

T R AV E L

Last year, Novak Djokovic played 20

tournaments in as many cities in 12

different counties Seiko designed a

watch that meant the tennis ace would

not have to adjust his watch manually

each time, but just push a button to

adjust to the local time automatically

And now that watch, the Astron GPS

Solar Dual Time, is available for us

mere amateurs The limited edition

watch also displays the time in your

home time zone on a 12 hour sub-dial

with a separate AM/PM indicator,

which means that you’ll be able to

manage time more easily, as well as

your backhand

Seiko is at The Watch House,

The Dubai Mall, +971 4 325 3699

O N T H E

H I G H S E A S

In 2015 the small British watch brand, Bremont, created a piece of nautical history by becoming the off icial timing partner of the 35th America’s Cup

It marks the first British off icial timing partner since the race began

in 1851, and to accompany the announment, the brand launched a new collection to honour the 165-year-old sailing competition

The initial America’s Cup watch series consists of two Special Edition watches – Bremont AC1 and ACII Inspired by the legendry J-Class yachts of the 1930s America’s Cups, both powerful versions carry the

‘London’ mark on the dial and are built in the United Kingdom according

to strict Bremont quality codes The Bremont ACI chronometer is a classic watch for the yacht enthusiasts, featuring blued steel hands and an ivory opaline dial, embossed with outlines of the Cup as the dial pattern

Bremont and Rivoli are available at Rivoli stores in Dubai

“decimal” minute-repeating mechanism, While this special watch has

a price tag of over Dhs1.6 million, A Lange & Söhne has also updated its signature Lange 1 watch with a new hand-wound movement, a slightly narrower bezel and a jumping large date display, which advances

on the stroke of midnight And at only Dhs117,155, it is a tad more affordable

 A Lange & Söhne is available at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons

EARN YOUR RACING

STRIPES

Racing fans might want to take

note of the new Tissot T-Race

MotoGPTM Automatic Limited

Edition 2015, a nod to the

sporting spirit that drives the

Swiss watch brand A sporty

red and black aesthetic and

familiar GT stripes complement

the edgy new case design, while

new pushers shaped like bike

footrests are a key feature of

the Tissot T-Race collection

this season But be quick off the

mark, as each timepiece comes

in its own helmet box of which

only 3,333 pieces are available

Tissot is available at Rivoli

W A T C H T R E N D :

BROWN DIALS

You don’t have to have a sweet tooth to appreciate the timelessness of

a chocolate brown watch dial, as launched by a fair few watch brands this season Brown has the versatility of being both smart and sporty depending on the shade, and can be a dapper alternative to the white, black or blue dial A brown dial is also a great complement to a rose gold case, like the 5711/1R in rose gold by Patek Philippe Here’s our favourites

5711/1R in rose gold by Patek Philippe, around Dhs188,000

Limitada in red gold by Bell & Ross, Dhs88,150

36mm Oyster Perpetual Day-Date

Ref 118135 in Everose gold by Rolex,

Dhs86,450

HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph Tachymeter by Rado,

Dhs17,690

Bond returned in November 2015 with some stellar wrist wear, and to celebrate its 20-year collaboration with Omega, the Swiss watch brand also unveiled a limited edition watch to mark the occasion If you didn’t happen to get your hands on the limited-edition Seamaster 300

“Spectre” timepiece, here’s a look at some of the other Omega watches the Double Agent has been sporting since 2002

T H I S G O E S D E E P

Tudor has released a new version of its signature diving watch, the Heritage Black Bay The latest sporty addition combines all the original purposes of the submariner tool-watch and their use on the wrists of divers serving in some of the world’s deepest depths, with sleek style First presented in 2012 and awarded with the ‘revival’ category prize by the jury of the 2013 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the sleek black Tudor Black Bay is nothing short of a contemporary classic

Tudor is available in select Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons stores across the UAE

Each watch is a masterpiece in itself, designed

to show off the exceptional craftsmanship of the 155-year-old brand, while all L.U.C movements are entirely designed, developed and produced by Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier Ten distinct families of Chopard calibers comprise more than 70 variations of high-precision mechanisms

Our tops picks? The LUC Regulator, LUC XPS Fairmined and LUC Quattro are all exceptional timepieces and only for the seasoned watch owner

Chopard is at The Dubai Mall, +971 4 339 833

2002

Die Another Day

2006

Casino Royale

2008

Quantum of Solace

2012

Skyfall

W O R L D

E X C L U S I V E

O N LY I N

D U B A I

Franck Muller has launched an

exclusive Proud to be Emirati Limited

Edition Collection, available only at its

boutique in The Dubai Mall While the

collection is partly to commemorate

National Day, there are just 44 of the

pieces, to represent the UAE’s 44 years

as a country, making the time piece an

immediate collectors item Intricately

designed as a part of the timeless

Franck Muller’s Vanguard Classic

Collection, the dial bears the emblem

of UAE, The Falcon, with the words

“Proud to be Emirati” embellished on

the back case The case also has all

seven Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai,

Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah,

Umm Al Quwain and Ajman

imprinted along with the statement

“United As One”

Available exclusively at the Franck

Muller boutique, The Dubai Mall,

+971 4 421 4648

NEW SPACE

In partnership with the Middle East’s largest Swiss watch retailer, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the oldest family-owned horlogerie brand, Audemars Piguet, has recently unveiled a new design concept at its flagship boutique

at Mall of the Emirates Located

on Level 1, the new swanky store showcases a new design concept that captures the 140-year old brand’s core values

The interiors blend wood, metal and idyllic landscapes of Le Brassus, transporting shoppers to the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, the birthplace of Audemars Piguet As for the watches, all the timeless greats are in store, including all this year’s favourites

Audemars Piguet is at Mall of the Emirates, +971 4 341 1121

2 4 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

F E A T U R E

The STARS of 2015

Regardless of simplicity or complication,

these are Esquire’s best watches of 2015

C A R T I E R

IT’S COMPLICATED

FIVE YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT,

578 COMPONENTS, THREE GRAND

COMPLICATIONS, ONE CARTIER

MASTERPIECE

BY LEONG WONG

T here are not many out there who would protest about Cartier’s Rotonde de Cartier Grande

Complication being included in this list Sure,

looks might be subjective, but there is no doubting that it is a

piece packed with ingenuity While whispers and rumours

were circulating that Cartier would reveal something

fantastic in 2015, not even the savviest of watch journos were

expecting what they got

The Cartier’s rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication

houses not one, or two, but three grand complications – a

tourbillon, perpetual calendar and minute repeater – each

practical and yet playful

Somehow shoehorned into a slim 12.6mm case, it is

arguably Cartier’s most complicated (and impressive)

timepieces to date The highest praise must be given to the

R&D team who must have employed every possible ounce of

skill (and technology available) to produce a movement with a

thickness of a mere 5.49mm

The much sought-after minute repeater plays a short

segment of music on three tones: lowest being the hour,

the medium the quarter and the highest tone being the one

to fourteen minutes It is the one grand complication that is

the hardest to craft as the mechanism is the most complex to

design and produce A playful little device and if you are into

all things ‘old-school’ then this is it

There are two thing that makes the Rotonde de Cartier

Grand Complication special First of all, the entire minute

repeater can be viewed under the sapphire crystal, while

its fly-wheel zips around as it is not held by the traditional

bridges This way it can ‘fly’ independently

And then, consider the activation mechanism Traditionally

minute repeaters use a slider as an activator; but there is

always the danger of it being activated only halfway or not

all the way and then it will be left with too little power to

play the entire time Instead, Cartier has cleverly introduced

a mechanism that they call ‘all or nothing”, which creates enough energy to chime the complete time (hour and minutes) when you activate the pusher This is especially useful when you need to know the time but cannot see the dial if, for instance, it is dark

The piece’s tourbillon is another gem Cartier uses titanium for its carriage because it is the optimal material for accuracy and precision It too is ‘flying’ as it is also not attached to a bridge

A real work of art, the Cartier movement in its entirety

is created with all the complications That means that there are no modules being added to a base movement This is a very complex piece of engineering consisting of 578 parts with 47 jewels altogether, and it is housed in a near naked platinum case with a large sapphire crystal and a large sapphire caseback

R O L E X

CRUISE CONTROL

ROLEX’S NEW YACHT-MASTER IS DISCREET

WITH JUST A TOUCH OF LUXE

BY AARON DE SILVA

E veryone likes an underdog David over Goliath Apple over Microsoft (in the old days) and

independent coffee roasters over the huge

multi-national chains

At this year’s Basel fair, as everybody ooh-ed and aah-ed

over Rolex’s new Chronergy escapement in the new Day-Date

40, or fawned over the rainbow-dipped, bling-tastic Datejust

Pearlmaster 39, we quietly admired a slick, more discreet

number that was almost eclipsed by the other more prominent

novelties that were on show

This timepiece that caught our attention — and held it —

was the updated Yacht-Master, striking in a new

black-and-rose gold getup Black ceramic and 18-carat Eveblack-and-rose gold, to

be precise In most cases — say in interior decoration or festive

settings — the use of black and yellow gold are still classic and

classy But it can appear a little dated on timepieces, harking

back to the ’80s and early ’90s when many watches sported

this combination The fusion of black and rose gold, on the

other hand, offers a stylish, updated look that is contemporary

and chic

A chic vibe is exactly what you’d hope to create when

taking your cruiser out for a spin — and there could be no

better watch to embody this stylish energy The Yacht-Master

occupies a unique position in Rolex’s portfolio, somewhere

between a powerful tool and a stylish dress watch Among the

oysters, it’s neither as utilitarian as the submariner or Daytona,

nor as dressy as the President Designed for captains of cruise

ships as much as for captains of industry, it can afford to be

dandier than its more sober, functional cousins, but more

robust than its black-tie-ready counterparts

In that sense, the Yacht-Master’s new livery is perfect —

much more so, we feel, than the pairing of blue and rolesium

(Rolex’s proprietary steel and platinum alloy), or the grey and

rolesium combination of earlier references While stately and

robust, they somehow lack that oomph that the new version

seems to dish out in spades

Material change aside, what’s also noteworthy is the

new oysterflex bracelet, composed of a flexible blade made

of titanium-and-nickel alloy, and then over-moulded with

black elastomer This high-performance rubbery material is

more resistant to the effects of sunlight, seawater, wind and

perspiration than steel, and also less prone to scratches

The black ceramic bezel also affords a further level of

protection, while the raised and polished numerals contrast

with the matte surface for easy readability and ease of use

The watch comes in two sizes — 40mm and 37mm Beating

at the heart of the larger model is rolex’s trusty Calibre 3135, which also powers the Datejust, Deepsea, sea-Dweller 4000 and submariner At the core of the smaller model throbs Calibre

2236, which was introduced last year in the Datejust Pearlmaster

34 If you recall, Calibre 2236 was noted for its use of a syloxi hairspring, Rolex’s first silicon-based hairspring (All other calibres employ the Parachrom hairspring, an alloy composed

of niobium, zirconium and a small percentage of oxygen.)However, both syloxi and Parachrom are anti-magnetic, and there’s no significant advantage that one has over the other

so while we may be inclined to think of 37mm models as more suitable for ladies, there’s no reason why this Yacht-Master can’t also be worn by men who are slender of wrist, or who simply prefer a more discreet timepiece (your cruiser is showy enough, after all)

2 6 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

F E A T U R E

B E L L & R O S S

HARDER, LIGHTER AND SEXIER

THOUGH THE BASIC DESIGN OF THE

BR HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 10 YEARS,

IT HAS SPAWNED SEVERAL EDITIONS AND MODELS THE RANGE’S POPULARITY WITH THE YOUNGER MARKET PROVES ITS ICONIC STATUS AND EFFERVESCENT CHARACTER BUT THE LATEST EDITION, BR-X1 CHRONOGRAPH, IN FORGED CARBON, IS SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER

BY LEONG WONG

F orged carbon is a material that could come straight out of science fiction It is three times lighter than titanium and extremely strong It is a composite of microscopic carbon filaments that are set with resin and baked at an extremely high temperature until they bond together to form a new material Its properties are unique as its natural pattern is irregular and wave-like, and therefore, unpredictable Every single item that is made from forged carbon is unique with its own character

The technology was first seen in the automotive industry, before it found its way into the world of horology over the last few years The symbiosis between cars and watches is

a new tradition unto itself, and the forged carbon in your car and on your wrist, especially when it is a chronograph,

is a welcome combination because of the synergy and the lightness With Bell & Ross being the frontrunner in the use

of hi-tech materials for the fabrication of their timepieces,

it must come as no surprise that they were one of the earliest

to use the material Expensive to make, forged carbon will surely be seen in more sports watches as soon as a cheaper manufacturing process can be found But for now, let’s enjoy the exclusivity of the few that are out there

At Bell & Ross, forged carbon finds its way into the BR-X1 Skeleton Chronograph Carbone Forge 2015 The first impression, needless to say, is that it is impressive and attention grabbing, and when you examine it up close, it appears like the watch’s second skin The BR-X1 itself has a high standard of finishing throughout The movement starts with an “X” (the code name for NASA experimental projects) upper bridge coated with black DLC, revealing a well-finished movement below, while above is the lattice work of the skeleton dial decorated with markers and indexes coated with Super-LumiNova, which is repeated on the faceted skeleton hour and minute hands

The central chrono second hand is coated with LumiNova and has a red tip, which corresponds with the chrono minute red indicator on a jet turbine-inspired rotary disc sub-dial at three o’clock The continuous seconds with Super-LumiNova coating sits at three o’clock The date window is found at six o’clock They all sit on top of a grey sapphire glass dial, which gives the illusion that they are floating over the dial bridge The chronograph movement below is mechanical and wound automatically by Calibre BR-CAL.313 It emits a high frequency of 28,800vph, and should provide perfect precision

Super-The finely finished piece of machinery is then encased

in the complex architecture of the case: a top piece in forged carbon with unique marbling pattern and a case made of Grade 5 titanium and a steel caseback The forged carbon had to be re-engineered to make sure that the composition

is non-porous, so that the case can be water-resistant The entire watch is matte-finished so that it’s anti-glare and easier to read

The matte forged carbon with the matte-finished titanium doused in black gives the timepiece a very powerful image, and being limited to 250 pieces worldwide makes it a very attractive piece for those outdoorsy active weekends or for extreme sports

B R E I T L I N G

EVERY SECOND

COUNTS

VINTAGE CHARM HAS NOW SETTLED INTO

A MORE PERMANENT FEATURE ON THE

AESTHETIC SIDE OF DESIGN BREITLING

HAS SOME OF THE BEST VINTAGE LOOKS

AROUND, AND HERE IS ONE CHARMER

YOU’LL FIND HARD TO RESIST

BY LEONG WONG

S ome vintage pieces are just old and look it But then there are those that just ooze charm and

instantly draw you in to their old-world glamour

Breitling was established in 1884 at the beginning of the

second watch renaissance of the Swiss watchmaking

industry by Leon Breitling, in the town of Grenchen in the

Canton of Solothurn, where many different watches were

designed, engineered and manufactured In this new age,

the cottage industries and individual parts makers were

soon a thing of the past It was an exciting time, things were

moving a lot faster and challenges were aplenty, but the

Swiss watch industry established itself as a force to be

reckoned with Breitling was in the thick of it with sports

watches as their forté, which soon became popular with

famous aviators of the day

The talent obviously ran in the family and the founder’s

son Gaston Breitling pushed the boundaries further He found

a way to separate the chronograph function buttons from

the crown to avoid confusion when using the watch and the

chronograph He devised a separate pusher, which controlled

the three chronograph operations and placed the pusher at

two o’clock on the pocket watch That was in 1915, and later,

he successfully moved the stop/start functions to the second

button and left reset with the crown Once again in 1934, he

created the second pusher exclusively for zero resetting This

was revolutionary; the chronograph functions are completely

independent from the crown and clearly making everything

instinctive, completely modernising the chronograph that we

are familiar with today All these moves took time because a

chronograph movement is so complex that it is classified as a

grand complication

Once again keeping up the spirit of innovation, Breitling

has introduced the Transocean Chronograph 1915 this year

It is easily one of the best-looking watches that we have seen

in a long while The design is inspired by a bygone era and

so are the mechanical functions The face of the timepiece

immediately transports you back to the early days of Art Deco

with the font style of the Arabic numerals coated in vintage

beige luminescent Meanwhile, the dial is off-white with two

grey sub-dials for continuous seconds and a chrono minute

counter, all designed to give a hint of the past The hands are

coated with luminescent in vintage beige as well

The technology that drives this chronograph is something

new, of course; in fact, it is a brand new in-house manufacture

Breitling Calibre B14 Showing their acumen for innovation,

the chronograph has a patented two-tiered double

column-wheel system, which activates the controls that are arranged

on two levels The watch is powered by a hand-wound

mechanical movement with a chronometer-certified by

COSC, which emits a frequency of 28,800vph, and when completely wound, has a power reserve of 70 hours

The dial and the movement sit in the already classic Transocean brushed polished stainless steel case, with an original tapered lozenge-shaped pusher from the 1915 edition, again giving it that vintage feel To complete the entire look, the watch comes with a strap choice of classic steel mesh, which makes a strong statement, or brown croc to give it a sportier look

If the watch does not transport you back in time, at least the design might put you in the mood, especially if you are a wartime aviation buff who has a taste for all things vintage

With the innovative engineering of the new two-tiered chronograph, the Transocean Chronograph 1915 has to be one

of the best chronographs this year, if not the most beautiful

A t SIHH 2015 Roger Dubuis announced that 2015 would be the

“Year of the Astral skeleton” It was

very much a statement of intent further by the

release of a slew of outstanding Excalibur watches,

based on some seriously high technical

watch-making, as we’ve come to expect from the brand

The Excalibur range highlighted the brand’s ability

(and imagination) to evolve skeletonised watches that

are as much about artistic beauty as they are about

technical composition One piece worth special note is

the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon

— the highly technical crafting of the skeleton within the

piece demonstrates the unmistakable talent that the house

has for creating marvellous, enigmatic watches with modern

aesthetic values

The skeletonised structure allows the wearer to see the

watch’s complex inner workings, revealing a level of skill,

experience and attention to detail required not dissimilar to

that needed within a finely tuned classic sports car In fact,

taking inspiration from sports cars, the designers introduced

bright red elements including the inner bezel, the hands and

the crown, creating a stark contrast with the gunmetal grey of

the rest of the watch

But the real hero of the piece is the double flying

tourbillon The rD01sq calibre The twin movements

each rotate fully in a minute Each of the tourbillons has a

prominent Celtic cross emblazoned across the top, and the

flying configuration creates an illusion that the crosses are

floating in mid-air To further ensure accuracy, the movement,

Dubuis

15 would be the skeleton” It was

t further by the

g Excalibur watches,echnical watch-

ct from the brand

hted the brand’s ability letonised watches that

ty as they are about

ce worth special note is Double Flying Tourbillon

of the skeleton within theakable talent that the housegmatic watches with modernallows the wearer to see the

which has been adjusted to no less than six positions, consists

of 319 parts, each one intricately embellished The detailing is

so intricate that it takes the craftsmen at Roger Dubuis a total

of 360 hours just to ensure that the movement is precisely assembled and finished to qualify for Poinçon de Genève (Hallmark of Geneva) certification, like all other watches from the manufacturer

This ingenious creation is completed with a 47mm case

in titanium and black DLC titanium, which, because of its skeletonised movement, is lighter than it looks and wears very comfortably Fasten the timepiece with the sporty black rubber strap and you’ll have on your wrist a watch like no other In fact, if you are indeed fortunate enough to get your hands on this very limited edition, you’ll have one of only 188 Excalibur spider skeleton Double Flying Tourbillons in the world We told you it is special

W ithin the blink of an eye, a decade has flown by since Breguet debuted its Tradition 7027, a watch

that brazenly displayed the mechanics of its

movement above the mainplate That it went on to inspire

other independent watchmakers such as MB&F and

Manufacture Royale (in their Legacy Machines and 1770

Voltige, respectively) speaks volumes for the impact it had in

the horological world

The 7027’s extraordinary three-dimensional architecture

comprises a central barrel; a dial at 12 o’clock with hour and

minute hands driven directly by the barrel; and, in an arc

stretching from four to eight o’clock, a large balance wheel

and intermediate wheels There was no need to mentally

undress your watch — you could eyeball the oscillating

balance wheel peeking out from under your shirt cuff, or

directly observe the flow of power from the central barrel

to the going train, to the in-line lever escapement Since

then, the Tradition has evolved into a full-fledged collection,

complete with complications such as a second time zone

(model 7067) and power reserve (model 7057)

For this year’s 10th anniversary of the model, Breguet

pulled out all the stops, launching three new numbers to

entice horophiles: the 7097 is equipped with a retrograde

small seconds feature; the 7077 comes packed with a

chronograph driven by a blade spring under tension; and

the 7087 is kitted out with a features-rich minute repeater

mechanism and peripheral winding rotor

While both the 7087 and 7097 are impressive in their own

right, our favourite is the 7077 — the Tradition Chronographe

indépendant — and for a number of reasons For one, we

love our chronos Secondly, the model takes this age-old

complication to a whole new level It boasts two separate

trains — one for the hours and the minutes that is regulated

by a 3hz (21,600vph) balance and equipped with a

50-hour power reserve; and the other for the chronograph,

which has a 5hz (36,000vph) balance for extra precision

In chronographs with a single train (i.e the vast majority

of chronos, apart from rare examples such as TAG Heuer’s

Mikrotourbillons), activating the chronograph affects the

train However, the 7077 neatly side steps this problem because the two trains are completely disconnected from each other This is vintage Breguet

Another noteworthy characteristic of the Tradition is its symmetrical dial This tradition — no pun intended — continues in the 7077 To maintain this pleasing mirrored configuration, the balance wheels had to be the same size despite their different frequencies Eagle-eyed horological enthusiasts will also notice the absence of a column-wheel

Instead, the watch employs an updated version of Louis Breguet’s chronograph control mechanism, first used in his ref 4009 double-second observation timer in 1825 Other nods to his historical innovations include the use of his pare-chute anti-shock devices and over-coiled hairspring, while aesthetic touches such as the coin-edge case, engine-turned guilloché dial in silvered gold and pomme hands bring back elements of a classical mien to honour the brand’s heritage

Abraham-3 0 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

F E A T U R E

I W C

CALENDAR MODEL

IWC’S NEW ANNUAL CALENDAR MIGHT

BE DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS, BUT THERE’S

MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE

BY AARON DE SILVA

B efore we wax lyrical about IWC’s ridiculously handsome Portugieser Annual Calendar,

there are a few things we need to clarify

first We begin with the (new) name: Portugieser Prior

to this year, the collection had always been known as

the Portuguese, but apparently, the house has

switched to the German translation for trademarking

purposes

Next, IWC’s marketing campaign promotes 2015

as the Portugieser’s 75th anniversary, though the line

did not exist 75 years ago, having only come into being

in 1993 What did exist 75 years ago was Ref 325, a

43mm ticker made for two Portuguese businessmen who

wanted an accurate timekeeping wristwatch for their

travels Ref 325 was presented to them in 1939, and IWC

began commercial production of the model the following

year It was this watch that went on to inspire the Portugieser

collection of later years

As for the actual merits of the Annual Calendar, one of

our favourite pieces this year, we must start by pointing out

that this is IWC’s first annual calendar watch, offering an

alternative to the house’s more exclusive perpetual calendar

models In terms of style, we love the well-balanced layout of

the dial with counters that resemble dashboard gauges you

might find on vintage yachts

At 12 o’clock, the calendar indications appear in three

separate windows, which read in the American style of

month, date and day This pays tribute to IWC’s American

founder FA Jones and might take some getting used to for

those of us more accustomed to the British styling, but we

assure you the rest of the watch makes it well worth the

effort The calendar itself only needs to be corrected once a

year, at the end of February This, along with all other settings,

is adjusted by the crown, and there are no push-pieces to

fuss around with — an impressively efficient detail we might

expect of IWC

However, the simplest solutions often have complex

backstories — it took IWC five years to engineer this

sweet number Much of that time was spent on the

in-house development of the new Calibre 52850 alone, a 4hz

(28,800vph) engine equipped with a two-barrel system that

provides a seven-day power reserve, as indicated in the

sub-dial at three o’clock

Another of Calibre 52850’s major technical breakthroughs

is its use of ceramic components, which makes the automatic

winding system wear-free, and therefore, more efficient As

Thomas Gaumann, IWC’s head of R&D Movement, explains:

“In older watches with the Pellaton winding system, there

was some wear-and-tear on parts of the system Then we

produced some wheels in ceramic, tested them and found

that they [didn’t exhibit signs of wear], so you don’t have to

replace those parts.”

The skilled and precise workmanship of the Annual

Calendar is especially showcased in the open caseback, where

you can see that the movement fills up virtually every last millimetre of space This lends a unique touch, demonstrating that IWC specially built the 44.2mm case around the calibre, instead of simply fitting in an existing calibre The movement’s generous proportions also respect the legacy of the original source of inspiration, Ref 325, which was fitted with a pocket watch calibre

Unlike the other two anniversary models that IWC launched this year — the Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition

“75th Anniversary” and the Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “75th Anniversary” — we like that the Annual Calendar is not issued in a limited edition It is truly a watch for every man There are even three strikingly different versions to choose from: an 18-carat red-gold case with a silvered dial, and a stainless steel case with a silvered or midnight blue dial Our pick? The blue-dialled model, which seems to speak of the ocean, sea navigation and the Portuguese businessmen themselves, who desired a wristwatch as accurate as a marine chronometer Which is precisely what they got

strip when it was first printed in newspapers — the white dial of the watch forms a perfect contrast to the black varnished hands and indexes with black varnished top cavities, while a polished black ceramic bezel adds a sleek, youthful edge You might also notice that the dial is inversely coloured to the Speedmaster Professional, lending the piece an updated, unique look An endearing illustration

of Snoopy at the nine o’clock sub-dial gives the piece a final whimsical touch In addition, Super-LumiNova is applied on the hands, the indices and the bezel, lighting up the watch with a mesmerising green glow in the dark

A peek at the caseback reveals another pleasant surprise:

a stunning Snoopy medallion sits atop a 925 silver plate

In this depiction, Snoopy floats within a sea of dark blue enamel that is hand-sprinkled with silver dust, as if to show him flying in space The medallion was crafted to resemble the Silver Snoopy Award that Omega received from NASA.The Omega Silver Snoopy Award is a bona fide chronograph with an authentic Swiss heritage Powered

by a rhodium-plated Omega 1861 calibre, the watch carries the same manual winding movement as the famous Omega Speedmaster worn on the moon With a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound, it also features a tachymeter and

a small seconds sub-dial The crystal of the watch is domed and anti-reflective sapphire, which is inserted into a steel case measuring a comfortable 42mm Finally, a sporty nylon strap completes this stylish and fun but highly durable piece Available in a limited edition of only 1,970 pieces — another clever reference to the year of the Apollo 13 incident

— the Omega Silver Snoopy Award is one of this year’s more highly sought-after timepieces, not least for the rare and momentous history of space exploration and cultural icons

it honours

O M E G A

A DOG’S LIFE

OMEGA PAYS TRIBUTE TO ONE OF

HUMANITY’S MOST SIGNIFICANT

MOMENTS WITH ITS NEW SUPER-STYLISH

SPEEDMASTER… STARRING SNOOPY

BY REMUS NG

“ What could you do in 14 seconds?” Really — what could you? This provocative question is inscribed

on the dial of the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13

Silver Snoopy Award, between the markers for zero and 14

seconds, serving as a reminder of the incredible feat

achieved by Apollo 13 astronauts within that span of time

In those 14 short seconds in 1970, the astronauts managed

to prevent the destruction of their spacecraft and correct its

re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, after two severe explosions

had derailed their mission to land on the moon Despite

the lack of electronic options on board, they managed to

time precisely the mid-course correction with their Omega

Speedmasters and eventually land safely back on Earth

To mark the 45th anniversary of this event, Omega has

produced a timepiece as a tribute to the Silver Snoopy Award

it received from the astronauts upon their safe return to

Earth The watch highlights Omega’s ties to space exploration

as well as NASA’s connection with the popular Peanuts

comics strip

In fact, the stark black and white palette of the watch

design takes its inspiration from the original Peanuts comic

MONTBLANC’S NEW HERITAGE

CHRONOMÉTRIE DUAL TIME MAKES

AN IDEAL NEW TRAVEL PARTNER FOR

FREQUENT FLYERS

BY REMUS NG

T he Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Collection truly rocked SIHH 2015 with offerings that

ranged from highly acclaimed timepieces

(who can forget the now famous ExoTourbillon timepieces?)

to more affordable numbers that proved to be excellent bang

for your buck One of the pieces in this collection — the

Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time — has made

it onto our top 10 list for the year, and when we tell you why,

we bet it’ll be on yours too

This watch is very much a timepiece for the business

traveller who needs to juggle time zones easily and without

any fuss Function in form is key to describing the Dual Time

because the watch allows the wearer to refer to two time

zones simultaneously — at home and at the destination,

for example

A bold blue hand points towards the hour at the

traveller’s home, or originating, time zone The traveller

can then set the second golden hour hand for the local

time of his destination This is done easily via the crown’s

second position, which moves the hand either forwards or

backwards in one-hour increments Adjusting either hour

hand does not affect the central minute hand, coloured in

the same gold tone as the local time’s hour hand, or the

small seconds indicated at six o’clock As an added benefit,

a simple adjustment via the beautifully signed crown also

allows time changes for daylight savings

In addition, a 24-hour sub-dial at 12 o’clock reminds the

wearer if it is day or night back home However, the date

is synced to the local time of the destination — this helps

the traveller keep track of dates as he moves across the

International Date Line

The watch is crafted in the elegant size of 41mm and

slim enough, at 9.97mm, to slide easily under a suit or

whitewashed cuffed sleeves The silver pearlescent dial

features a refined sunburst pattern that is mesmerising

to look at, because it glowingly reflects light at different angles, as enhanced by a domed sapphire crystal Indices are polished and faceted to match the style of the watch, while a prominent Arabic numeral 12 acts as the keystone

A polished steel case with a satinated bezel brings it all together effortlessly Finally, the curved lugs on the watch handsomely hold a black alligator leather strap with a triple folding buckle, created at Montblanc’s very own pelletteria in Florence, Italy

Manufactured in-house, the Dual-Time Calibre MB 29.19 was conceptualised and developed by Montblanc itself The watch comprises an automatic movement with 42 hours of power on reserve and beats at a brisk 28,800bph

By perfectly combining both form and function, the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time makes a perfect travelling companion, helping you keep track of time throughout your travels while offering a constant, steady reminder of home We think you might want to get one before your next trip out

PA T E K P H I L I P P E

THE SIMPLE JOYS

AFTER PATEK PHILIPPE’S EXTRAVAGANT

175TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION OF 2014,

THE UNEMBELLISHED REF 5370 SEEMS

LIKE A COMPLETE TURNAROUND — WHICH

IS EXACTLY WHY WE LOVE IT

BY AARON DE SILVA

I n a world of distraction and excess, we find ourselves increasingly drawn to a simpler life

This isn’t about giving up worldly possessions or

adopting austere living conditions but rather about stripping

away frivolities and focusing on the essentials

A watch such as Patek Philippe’s new Split-Seconds

Chronograph, Ref 5370 perfectly embodies this simplicity

and elegance Sighted at Basel for the first time this year, it

almost made every other watch we’d seen until then — even

the fancier models with multiple complications — fade into

the background An elegant, classically inspired piece, this

watch is an absolute purist’s dream, boasting exceptional

detail in the finest watchmaking tradition

First, a black hand-enamelled dial as dark as night, framed

in a newly designed 41mm platinum case featuring delicate,

subtle details such as a hollowed-out case middle and a

curved bezel Against this exquisite backdrop, the white gold

numerals, white scales, luminous hour and minute hands,

rhodium chronograph and split-second hands standout

brilliantly to the wearer

Much as we relished the grandeur of the maison’s 175th

anniversary pieces, the 5370 seems to carry the Patek

Philippe essence much more prominently: it is sophisticated

and unobtrusive, with a reverse-snob appeal It would take

another connoisseur to recognise what you have on your

wrist, which is why we love it

Ref 5370 completes Patek Philippe’s lineup of

manual-winding chronographs, following 2011’s Perpetual Calendar

Chronograph Ref 5270, 2012’s Split-Seconds Chronograph

with Perpetual Calendar Ref 5204 and 2013’s Chronograph

Ref 5170 All four watches are powered by Patek’s vaunted

CH 29-535 PS (or variations thereof ) — a chronograph calibre

with traditional architectural details, such as a column wheel

and horizontal clutch Among horophiles, this family of

movements is renowned for its robust construction, reliability

and high rate accuracy

Though Ref 5270 and Ref 5204 both featured perpetual

calendars, this year’s Ref 5370 pares things back by doing

away with the calendar altogether to focus purely on the

split-seconds function The monochromatic colour scheme of the

watch seems to emphasise this focus This model is powered

by Calibre CHR 29-535 PS, the “R” symbolising “rattrapante”,

the French term for a split-seconds chronograph For the

uninitiated, this complication was invented for the express

purpose of timing two separate events and the interval

difference between them; it is used, for example, in a race

between two runners or two sports cars

The word “rattrapante” itself derives from the French

“rattraper”, or “catch up”, a reference to the way the

split-seconds chronograph hand catches up with the main

chronograph hand The mechanism works as follows:

when the button at two o’clock is pushed, the chronograph

is activated and both hands advance together at the same instant, one superimposed above the other Getting them

to synchronise perfectly is trickier than it sounds, but it

is in such watchmaking techniques that Patek Philippe particularly excels

When the button integrated in the crown is pushed, the split-seconds function is triggered The split-second hand stops while the main chronograph hand races along Pushing the same button causes the stopped hand to resume its motion and catch up with its moving counterpart Finally, pushing the button at two o’clock stops both hands, while the button at four o’clock resets them

For such a simple design, the movement and the technology behind the piece are far more intricate than you might at first imagine But the marriage between classic, minimalist design and highly advanced watchmaking techniques is precisely what makes this watch so remarkable

Like so many iconic Patek Philippe timepieces, this one proves, yet again, the adage that less is more

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F E A T U R E

A brief history

of time

WHERE THE WATCH INDUSTRY CAME

FROM AND WHERE IT’S GOING

BY GENE STONE ILLUSTRATIONS BY JEAN-MICHEL TIXIER

he story of timekeeping begins eons before the wristwatch actually existed: the need to know the time must surely pre-date recorded history

We do know that as humankind began to develop complicated social structures, coordinating events became vital Social cooperation demands structure: people wishing to hunt, fish, or farm together needed to be

able to coordinate when to start and stop — and at some point in the far

distant past, the concept of keeping time arose

For centuries, the sky and the clock were virtually synonymous

People used the sun, moon and stars to calculate time, but this meant

the division of time took place on a large scale — weekly, monthly,

seasonally The need to divide the day into smaller increments arose

only as civilisation grew complicated

The Egyptians were the first to come up with the 24-hour day Their

first clocks were sundials with spokes that cast a slim shadow Originally

simple, these sticks grew ornate, with hour markers carved onto the

earth, or on highly decorated metal bases But sundials only work when

the sun is out, so early timekeepers searched for other ways to indicate

the passage of time, such as marking candles with bands that burned

at specified rates, or, more famously, the hourglass Other inventions

followed: the most successful being the water clock, or clepsydra,

a 3000BC Chinese device that tracks the flow of water into a vertical

tank at marked intervals The Egyptians adapted them along with

sundials as early as 1500BC, and Plato introduced the clepsydra to the

Greeks, who built fanciful and beautiful specimens, as did the Romans

Following the collapse of classical civilisation, timekeeping became

unimportant in Europe, and it wasn’t until the 12th century that interest

in timepieces reappeared, specifically, the mechanical clock The

invention that made it possible to build a mechanical clock is a device

called an escapement which, by powering an oscillator, controls the

release of energy and the rate at which the overall mechanism moves

The French architect Villard de Honnecourt described an

escapement as early as 1250AD, but there’s no evidence he actually built a clock containing one The first escapement clocks seem to have appeared in Europe in the late 13th century No one knows exactly who first invented it, or where, but England, Belgium, France, Italy and France lead the list of contenders Norwich, England, had a clock tower

by 1352; St Albans, near London, also had one by the mid-1300s

These clocks had no hands Their purpose was to ring bells to sound the hours, which is probably why the word clock derives from the Old

French word cloche for “bell”, which in turn comes from the medieval Latin word clocca

Slowly, however, hands and wheels came into alignment, and by the late 14th century, large clocks with hour hands were being built in public throughout Europe The first mechanism that could be considered a watch didn’t appear until 1511 when, according to some horologists, a German named Peter Henlein created a pocket watch with an hour hand known as a Nuremberg egg Others claim Italians had already invented a portable clock in the late 15th century

Small clocks slowly grew in popularity during the 16th century, especially among royalty Emperor Charles V commissioned several, and

in France, watchmaker Julien Coudray supposedly made two daggers with small clocks in their handles for King Louis XI Most early efforts were German or French — the Swiss and English did not begin making pocket watches until later in the century — and one of the earliest English pieces may well have been a watch set in a bracelet that the Earl

of Leicester presented to Queen Elizabeth I in 1571

PORTABLE WATCHES were most often worn as pendants around the neck, or, like Elizabeth’s watch, strapped on the wrist Then, in the 1670s, King Charles II helped popularise the long waistcoat, and men found a place for their watches in their waistcoat pockets, heralding the term “pocket watch”

3 6 E S Q U I R E B I G W A T C H B O O K A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

F E A T U R E

New devices such as a spiral mainspring (circa 1500) and a spiral

balance spring (1675) improved timekeeping accuracy, and helped lead

to the introduction of a minute hand, although for many more years,

most watches still featured one hand and were not terribly accurate The

man who changed that was Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), now

considered the father of the modern wristwatch (which was just one of

his many imaginative horological innovations)

The industrial revolution created the possibility of the watch for the

masses Machinery could now make watch parts, permanently changing

what had been a handmade industry Furthermore, more accurate

timekeeping was becoming necessary For the first time, more people

worked in factories than at home, toiling for specified periods that

had to be recorded for proper payment And, the new transportation

— trains — worked best if they operated on an invariable schedule: so,

hundreds of companies created watches aimed at railroad engineers and

conductors

These were still primarily pocket watches, as men did not take

to objects strapped around their wrist But that changed in the late

19th century, in great part as soldiers discovered the usefulness of

a wristwatch in battle Pocket watches required at least one free hand

to operate, so soldiers fitted straps to watches and wore them on their

wrists, freeing up hands to operate weapons

Girard-Perregaux may have been the first brand to make

wrist-watches in any quantity for men, when it equipped the German Imperial

Navy in 1880 But World War I did more for the men’s wristwatch than

any other single event Allied troops were issued wristwatches and

their reliability and convenience won their loyalty Once the soldiers

returned home, accustomed to the convenience of the wristwatch, they

refused to return to the pocket watch Male acceptance also rose after a

high-altitude flight was set by a pilot wearing a wristwatch; athletes at

the 1920 Olympics wore them, too Soon new brands like Rolex, founded

in London in 1905, popularised self-winding and waterproof models By

the end of the 1920s, the wristwatch was outselling the pocket watch

World War II interrupted its advance Many manufacturers either

slowed or stopped production, although neutral Switzerland continued

making watches for military forces on both sides, which helped give

them an advantage over other country’s manufacturers, (leading to the

country controlling more than half the market by the Seventies) But,

when the war was over, watchmaking flourished again Fancy new models were produced, thinner movements invented and ever smarter complications introduced, including chronograph dials, alarms and moon-phase indicators

By 1950, about 40 million watches a year were being manufactured: today’s total is about 300 million For the most part through the mid-20th century, dial designs of the major watchmakers remained conservative, although some smaller manufacturers and many US designers played with popular art forms Some of the most outstanding new designs were the irregularly cased watches designed for

Patek Philippe and Hamilton by Gilbert Albert and Richard Arbib, respectively And, for Movado, Nathan Horwitt came up with a face that was simple, clean, and used only one mark, a gold dot at the 12 position, but still with an hour and minute hand (eventually it was known as the

“Museum Watch” since it was the first to be displayed in New York’s Museum of Modern Art) Then disaster hit the mechanical watch: the quartz crisis

LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS to power timepieces, as well as to ensure accuracy, technicians experimented with new electronic regulating devices, one of which was quartz, a common mineral which vibrates when an electric current is applied to it The first battery-operated quartz clock driven by such pulses was produced in 1929 by Canadian Warren Morrison at New Jersey’s Bell Laboratories, and soon quartz clocks became popular in places where exact time was necessary The watch industry realised quartz could play an important role in wristwatches and by the Fifties, the Swiss were developing prototypes But Japanese brands Seiko and Citizen beat them to the market with quartz watches that offered consumers something new: extremely reliable timepieces that cost a fraction of the price of a mechanical watch By 1969, Seiko had introduced its first line of quartz watches, the

SQ Astron While demand for these watches grew exponentially, sales of old-fashioned mechanical watches plummeted

The quartz crisis changed the industry Many well-established companies, such as Angelus, Enicar and Record, were never heard from again and by the late Seventies, the mechanical watch industry reached

its nadir Fear, anxiety, and joblessness swept through the valleys of

the Swiss timepiece industry and from 1970 to 1988, that nation’s

watchmaking workforce collapsed from 90,000 to 28,000

Then came two unexpected developments First, in 1983, Swatch

introduced a line of inexpensive, well-designed quartz watches Selling

for as little as $35, it was a Swiss-made watch with Swiss design and

reputation and tens of millions of them were purchased within a few

years of its release

The other development may have been a psychological reaction

to the rapid changes taking place The quartz watch was a stunning

success, but perhaps because of the need to counterbalance cold

technology with humanism, the hand-made, mechanical watch was

reborn Not every consumer wanted a mass-produced, sturdy quartz

watch Some preferred a small piece of hand-tooled technology that

fascinated by virtue of its beautifully designed faces and remarkably

intricate complications

A decade after the quartz panic set in, failing watchmakers began

to see a resurgence in orders, with new companies emerging to take

advantage of this high-end interest They quickly found consumers who

wanted mechanical watches, extra complications and unique dials In

the early Nineties, IWC debuted its Il Destriero Scafusio, at the time the

world’s most complex wristwatch, with 21 different functions It was

soon eclipsed by models from companies such as Patek Philippe and

Gerald Genta, the latter another new phenomenon A Swiss designer

who created the first stainless steel sports watch for Audemars Piguet

(the Royal Oak), as well as the Nautilus for Patek Philippe and many

other iconic pieces, Genta founded his own brand, which flourished,

and then sold it to luxury jewellery conglomerate Bulgari Meanwhile,

designer Daniel Roth, who helped create Breguet’s new image, started

a company to produce watches with a distinctive ellipto-curvex shape

(also now owned by Bulgari) Soon numerous watchmakers’ brands

sprang up, like Roger Dubuis, Franck Muller and FP Journe (whose

stunningly crafted dials have made him one of the most highly awarded

of all watchmakers)

Dormant brands were revived, including Blancpain, Glashütte and

A Lange & Söhne, while veteran companies such as Jaeger-LeCoultre

and Omega, which throughout the 20th century sold mid-level watches,

were now producing high-end, complicated ones With the economy in

its favour, the watch business shook off its Seventies doldrums In 2014, Swiss watches set a record of 22.247 billion Swiss francs (around $21.8 billion) worth of exports Hong Kong is the leading consumer, the US second, China third

STILL, CLOUDS LOOM ON THE HORIZON: the smartphone fulfils the function of a timepiece The watch industry counters that nothing beats a timepiece on the wrist Apple has responded with the Apple Watch, while other tech companies have launched similar smart wristwatches

Will the basic mechanical watch compete? If it succeeds, it may

be due to a group of remarkable young watchmakers like Finn Kari Voutilainen, who is making escapements that cost a fortune but are enrapturing horologists, or Denis Flageollet, a Swiss watchmaker trying to redefine the laws of physics inside a watch Romain Gauthier

is manufacturing Swiss watches that are awesome Stephen Forsey, half the duo behind the Greubel Forsey brand, is creating enormously inventive pieces while training a new generation of watchmakers

Likewise, venerable companies like Girard-Perregaux, with its true constant force escapement; Omega, with its mindboggling anti-magnetic movement; and Rolex, with its so-called “playless gears”, are conjuring

up inventions that don’t compete with smart watches for apps, but make the mechanical watches more desirable than ever

Other watchmakers are looking to fight the Apple Watch on its own terms At the 2015 Baselworld watch fair, several brands debuted their own line of smart watches: Mondaine’s Helvetica 1 Smartwatch records its wearer’s activity and sleep information; Breitling’s B55 Connected uses Bluetooth to set time and store data; and Bulgari presented a concept watch that allows secure access to its owner’s personal and private data TAG Heuer also just released its Connected timepiece

Just as the beginnings of the watch are unknown, so is its future

For now, the mechanical watch is staying on the wrist, but in what form? Will it be part-smart, part-mechanical? Will one wrist be for a mechanical piece and the other for a technological one? Or will the mechanical watch revert to Elizabethan times and be worn on places other than the wrist? Even a smart watch can’t answer that

P O R T U G I E S E R

A N N U A L

C A L E N D A R

Satin-polished stainless steel case Blue sunburst dial Automatic mechanical movement with seven-day power reserve indicator Hours, minutes, small seconds and annual calendar Alligator strap.

White-gold case Dark grey

sunburst dial Automatic

perpetual calendar

mechanical movement with

seven-day power reserve

Hours, minutes, small

seconds, moonphase and

power reserve indicator

Alligator strap