Saturday, June 28, 2014

Corum Golden Bridge - Missus Golden Bridge

The Corum Golden Bridge is one of those watches that emerges every now and then and wows the world of horology. The creative genius of Mr. Vincent Calabrese.

The Golden Bridge is an attention grabbing timepiece - with the in-line bridge the "Centre of Attraction." This piece has since been discontinued.
 photo CorumMissGoldenBridge07_zpsbc2a0d75.jpg

When I first saw the piece on the wrist of a friend, I knew I had to get one some day. Little did I know I would end up with one for my wife instead. She loves this piece and more so after we changed the strap to a tanned croc strap from JnS Handcrafted Strap.

Stay tuned for more on this beauty.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Lange 1815 Chrono - Pure & Classical

Lange has always made good chronograph and the Datograph is a dream watch on many collectors' list. I like the Datograph too but I finally settled for the 1815 Chronograph.

Two reasons I chose the 1815 chrono - as a chronograph, it is more "pure" to have no date. And additionally, they Lange does not have the Datograph in White Gold. And actually a third reason - price. For the date, one has to fork out a lot more… Hence the 1815 chrono over the Datograph. A clean and "pure" chronograph.
 photo 1815Chrono07_zps685b6ac1.jpg

I have always liked the Lange chronograph - a clean display. And the white gold example is my favorite - unless of course Lange comes out with the grey dial version of Datograph… The white gold cased white dial version is clean and "unobtrusive". I love the look.
 photo 1815Chrono05_zps190e15e4.jpg

The lovely blued hands are an attraction in itself. Visually appealing and extremely matching to the dial, this was the clincher for me.
 photo 1815Chrono06_zps850015d4.jpg

And that is a Lange without looking at the movement - a work of art!
 photo 1815Chrono03_zps79138384.jpg

Unlike many other chronographs, the Lange example features a jumping minute counter. And the aesthetics on the movement is amazing! Another winner for me.
 photo 1815Chrono04_zpsfeb10395.jpg

The blued steel screws and jewels add to the aesthetics of the movement. The movement features a column wheel chronograph.
 photo 1815Chrono01_zps5e872fcf.jpg

And the signature hand engraved balance cock. A true work of artisanship.
 photo 1815Chrono08_zps3f77e968.jpg

My only one gripe about the 1815 chrono is the small winding crown. Lange could have made it a little larger for I find it a little hard to wind - I have rather fat fingers. The chrono pushers are smooth and responsive.

My next search is for the rose gold black dial version of the 1815 chrono. And then the "set" will be one more step "complete". I have to check with the good guys at Lange as I understand that there was a yellow gold version too.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Novel Way to Tell Time - Upside Down

It took me awhile to understand how to tell time on the Upside Down Watch by Ludovic Ballouard. The complication is to marvel at and the finishing on the watch exquisite.

Once in awhile, you come across an unusual timepiece and I was lucky enough to be able to see the Upside Down in platinum on a previous trip to Bangkok. Pardon the poor quality of the pictures as these were taken on my smartphone.
LB Upside Down Dial Side photo UpsideDownDialSide01.jpg

At first glance, the watch displays the Arabic numerals upside down, hence the name of the watch. But take a closer look at the numbers…Notice that the 12 is right side up and with a dot? The rest of the numbers one to eleven are all displayed upside down. When the minute hand passes the 60 minute position, the number 12 will flip around (and display the number 12 upside down) and the number 1 will flip around displaying the numeral 1 correct side up and with the dot. The jump is instantaneous.
LB Upside Down Dial Side photo UpsideDownDialSide02.jpg

The movement side looks complicated but well finished. The manual winding Calibre B01 has a power reserve of 36 hours.
LB Upside Down Movement Side photo UpsideDownMovementSide02.jpg

The buckle is hand engraved and in platinum and the strap is hand-stitched blue alligator. Comes with an alligator travel pouch too.
Ludovic Buckle photo UpsideDownBuckle01.jpg

And then two months later, I come across the Harry Winston Opus 13 which is also developed with Ludovic Ballouard. We were shown the non-working prototype at the Harry Winston Boutique in Singapore and I had the privilege of taking some photos although it is rather difficult to capture a good shot given the "bling" centre.
Harry Winston Opus 13 Dial Side photo HWOpus13DialSide01.jpg

Notice the outer ring has pivoting hands? 59 of them to be exact and eleven have red tips? The eleven red-tipped ones are representing of the 5 minute marker. A little more difficult to see is the Eleven O'Clock hour "hand" that has flipped forward to point at the eleven o'clock position. Every time the one minute is up, the minute hand will pivot to the "straight" position. This watch is displaying 11.03. Telling time will be difficult and I believe HW needs to make some adjustments to the final piece to make it more legible.
Harry Winston Opus 13 Dial Side photo HWOpus13DialSide02.jpg

The movement side is easier on the eyes but no less complicated than the Upside Down.
Harry Winston Opus 13 Movement Side photo HWOpus13MovementSide01.jpg

At the hour, the pivoting minutes hands will all "dance" back to the slanted position. and the twelve o'clock will feature the "HW" logo. Cased in white gold, the watch comes with a white gold folding clasp on black alligator strap. Limited to 130 pieces.

So can we call Mr. Ballouard the new master of complications?

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Another Dream Watch - The JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2

Ever since I handled the watch back in 2008 I was taken by the beauty of the JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2. It has remained one of my dream watch to own… if I could ever afford one. And recently, I had the chance not only to handle it again but also to photograph the watch.

First of all, I love the Reverso range. So when they made the Gyrotourbillon in a Reverso case, that was it! My dream watch. Thanks to JLC for the invite to the recent Hybris Mechanica exhibition, I managed to handle this watch again.
JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 photo JLCGyrotourbillon208.jpg

One of the many feats of the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 is the fact that the multi-axis tourbillon actually improved the accuracy of the watch. In today's crowded tourbillon segment, many are there for aesthetic purposes and does not improve the accuracy of the watch as it was originally intended for. So it is a change when JLC developed the Gyro 2 which in effect improves the accuracy as well as looking great. The watch a sight to behold. Perfect symmetry.
JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 photo JLCGyrotourbillon206.jpg

The tourbillon uses a cylindrical balance spring which is found in marine chronometers and are difficult to make especially to miniaturize into a wristwatch. A close up of the tourbillon mechanism.
JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 photo JLCGyrotourbillon207.jpg

The back of the watch is equally mesmerizing. The back face also has a power reserve indicator - 50 hours.
JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 photo JLCGyrotourbillon2Reverse02.jpg

This Reverso Gyro 2 is something. Enjoy another view of the watch! Good looking front and back!
JLC Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 photo JLCGyrotourbillon201.jpg

A massive watch no doubt but definitely wearable. I think one can stare at the movement the whole time just being mesmerized by the tourbillon. If money were no object, this would be one watch I would acquire!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

New Discovery for my MIH Watch

Longitudes and Latitudes? What has that got to do with the MIH watch?

La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel and that is where the Musée International d’Horlogerie is located. Up until now, I had no idea the exact location of where the MIH is. Then I turn the watch buckle upside down and that was when I saw the engraving on the back of the buckle!
 photo MIH08_zpsd166cc3e.jpg

It actually shows the latitude and longitude of the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. 06° 49' 48" E and 47° 06' 03" N. Who would have known the exact location was engraved on the back of the buckle. Did you know that?
MIH Watch photo MIH02_zps059baac0.jpg

Here, take another look at the watch. For more information, please visit my MIH blog.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

MIH - Perhaps the Most Affordable Annual Calendar

The Musée International d'Horlogerie or The International Watchmaking Museum, as one can imagine houses all things associated with horology. And to their credit, developed the MIH Watch - proceeds from the sale of the watches are then channelled to the museum to fund their activities. This is my Feature of the Month.

The watch is created jointly by the curator of the museum Ludwig Oechslin, master watchmaker Paul Gerber, industrial designer Christian Gafner and Lucerne watch specialist EMBASSY. Probably the most affordable Annual Calendar watch and possibly the most minimalist in design, the MIH watch is great for one's collection.
MIH Watch photo MIH05_zpsaf329f06.jpg

On top of an annual calendar, the watch also comes with a mono-pusher chronograph. But that is hardly used as the chrono display is at the back of the watch. The watch comes encased in titanium.
MIH Watch photo MIH03_zps8374e490.jpg

Originally, the watch comes with a rubber strap but I had Jason of JnS customize a black calf with red stitching to match the chrono sweeping hand tip.
Black Calf with Red Stitching on MIH photo BlackCalfwithRedStitchonMIH.jpg

A perfect match - watch and strap!
MIH Watch photo MIH07_zps6d19866a.jpg

For those not in the know, the MIH looks like a normal watch. But a closer examination of the display at the 3 O'Clock position reveals a little more. You will observe the presence of the Date, Month, Day and a am/pm indicator.
MIH Watch photo MIH04_zpsfe6634fb.jpg

The two red dots represent the am/pm - one dot indicates morning (am) and two dots indicates afternoon (pm). The base movement for the watch is the ETA-Valjoux 7750 complemented by the annual calendar module developed by Paul Gerber. Other than the month of February, the watch does not need to be adjusted for the right date regardless whether the month has 30 or 31 days.
MIH Watch photo MIH07_zps6d19866a.jpg

A close up shot of the black dial. Hands and markers are luminous.
MIH Watch photo MIH06_zps114c2233.jpg

My only peeve about this watch is the sweeping chrono seconds hand. After some usage, it does not reset to 12. I know it can be easily fixed if you bring it to a watch repairman but I rather keep it the way it is - unique I guess.

For more information about the watch, please visit MIH http://www.mih-watch.ch/index.php?langId=2

This post was originally from eddie-sng.blogspot.com

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

IWC Portuguese Jubilee - My Other Dream Watch

The IWC Portuguese Jubilee. One of may favorite timepieces and one of my dream watches too. Glad to say I have one now.

Simple watches are probably the most difficult to make - how to make an iconic and instantaneously recognizable three handed watch? Well to mark their 125th Anniversary, IWC came up with the Portuguese Jubilee featuring the Calibre 9828 pocket watch movement. I am sure IWC did not start out to create an icon but the watch has garnered much success since.
IWC Portuguese Jubilee photo IWCPortugueseJubileeDial02Eddie.jpg

Reference number 5441, this beauty was made in limited numbers to commemorate 125 years of IWC watchmaking. Released in 1993, one thousand were made in steel, 500 in rose gold and 250 in platinum.
IWC Portuguese Jubilee photo IWCPortugueseJubileeDial03Eddie.jpg

The pocket watch movement is well decorated and well finished. Calibre 9828 manual winding movement beats at 18,000 vph.
IWC Portuguese Jubilee Movement photo IWCPortugueseJubileeMovement02Eddie.jpg

The front crystal is plexiglass which gives the watch a vintage look to it but also adds height to the watch. The encased watch is relatively slim for a watch this size - 42mm. Back in the 1990s, a watch sized at 42mm was considered huge. And I believe it was not an instant hit till much later. The Jubilee is a very close replica of the original Portuguese.
IWC Portuguese Jubilee photo IWCPortugueseJubileeDial01Eddie.jpg

This watch is a keeper for me. I actually had the luck to own one, sold it off and bought another one back within 3 months.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Special Lange One - Mother of Pearl Dial

I saw the Lange One Mother-of-Pearl dial once at the retailer Sincere and for the longest time, would have loved to buy that for my wife - the Little Lange Version. But then again, its not cheap especially when it comes with a diamond bezel.

I was lucky to acquire the Lange one Mother-of-Pearl (MOP) for a friend of mine and was able to briefly photograph the watch.
 photo Lange1MOP03_zpsf945d727.jpg

Some say the Lange 1 MOP is rather feminine but I think the watch is versatile - good for both sexes. This example comes in a white gold case with white gold hands and markers.
 photo Lange1MOP08_zps6b0a44c1.jpg

The engraved MOP dial is a work of art - truly!
 photo Lange1MOP04_zpsad3e12fa.jpg
 photo Lange1MOP06_zps8ac81e9c.jpg

The way the color reflects off the MOP dial is also beautiful.
 photo Lange1MOP07_zps5ccb1bef.jpg

And as one would expect, the hands and markers are well finished to the highest standards.
 photo Lange1MOP05_zps8641fe42.jpg

Honestly, I can wear this any time. I don't find this too feminine at all. A well engraved MOP dial can only bring out the best in the Lange One. Check out my post on my first dream watch, the Lange One.