Anniversary Watch: Meister Chronoscope Terrassenbau

Junghans introduced an anniversary watch last month to mark the centenary of an architectural masterpiece by Philipp Jakob Manz. The terrace building in Schramberg is one of the most spectacular industrial buildings worldwide to be built on a sloping site. At the beginning of the 20th century there was an increasing requirement for workplaces in the already cramped valley in Schramberg. The nine-stepped terrace building was built directly on the slope, in less than two years. As a result, each watchmaker could benefit from direct daylight at the workplace. For decades, the building was the centerpiece of the Junghans factory.
2018 sees the monument to industrial architecture celebrates its 100th birthday, with 100 years of architectural history commemorated with a special timepiece – the limited edition Meister Chronoscope Terrassenbau.

Junghans offers two different versions of this watch and both incorporate the distinctive elements of the industrial monument in Schramberg into their design: the minute track of the dial reflects the meandering design of the wall decorations in the terrace building, whilst the dark green of the wall tiles in the stairways can be found in the alligator leather strap. The case back delivers a direct view of the architectural work: an engraved image of the terrace building.
Hours, minutes and the chronograph second are shown by central hands. The running second lies at 9 o’clock, the 30-minute-counter at 12 o’clock and the 12-hour-counter at 6 o’clock. The hands are coated with Lume and the dial is protected by a convex hard plexiglass with coating for enhanced scratch resistance.

Inside the Meister Chronoscope Terrassenbau watches works an automatic movement, the J880.1. It offers a power reserve of up to 48 hours. The cases feature a diameter of 40.7 mm and are water resistant up to 3 atm.

With a limited edition of 100 examples, the Meister Chronoscope Terrassenbau features a gold case. Inspiration for the champagne-coloured dial with the three matt silver subdials was the stairway of the terrace building, which are in beige and white. The stainless steel version is limited to 1,000 watches and has a silver-plated dial.

25th Anniversary: Seiko Grand Seiko 9F quartz caliber

In 1988, the Grand Seiko team made a new quartz caliber that was worthy of the high standards the brand was – and still is – known for. At that time, rapid advances in quartz technology were being made but most were focused on the addition of new functions. The Grand Seiko team though, decided that they could, and should, go further by focusing on the simple essentials of precision and durability. They decided that to be the „ideal“ quartz watch, a new caliber was needed that would be even more precise, more durable and more in keeping with the aesthetics of Grand Seiko. Five years later, in 1993, the first 9F caliber, the 9F83, was completed.

The new caliber delivered advances in every aspects. Its hands were as long as those on every other Grand Seiko watch, the calendar change was instantaneous and the durability and reliability was enhanced. Caliber 9F incorporated key innovations such as a backlash auto-adjust mechanism to eliminate any shuddering of the second hand, a twin pulse control system to deliver increased torque and a unique protective shield to minimize the risk of dust coming into contact with the gear train or stepping motor. Still today, the caliber 9F can lay a strong claim to being the highest performance quartz watch in the world.

The new limited edition pays proud homage to the 1993 design. Its case and bracelet retain the soft contours of the original. There are, however, stylistic enhancements. In line with contemporary taste, the case is slightly larger, the Grand Seiko name is now at the 12 o’clock position and the dial carries a special pattern based on the traditional quartz symbol with, above the six o’clock marker, the 5-pointed star which, symbolises the extraordinary precision rate of +5 to -5 seconds a year.
This commemorative watch is offered in a limited series of 1,500 and will be available from April.

A second limited edition also commemorates the 25th anniversary of the caliber 9F. The case design is a contemporary re-interpretation of the celebrated 44GS from 1967 and showcases the beauty of the finishing on the 9F movement through an exhibition case back. The robust construction is clear to see and the striped pattern of the engraving bears witness to the care taken on the finishing on ever 9F movement, which, albeit hidden behind the case back in every other model, is assembled and finished by hand to the same high standard.
The dial, with its special markings and star symbol, is the same as on the first commemorative edition. The bezel is in gold. It is a limited edition of 600 pieces and will be available in May.

The case of both watches is made from stainless steel with a diameter of 39.1 mm and a water resistance of 10 bar.
Both watches are completed by a stainless steel bracelet.

Prolific Partnership: Hublot and Ferrari Present a New Watch

To celebrate Ferrari’s 70th anniversary, the Italian marque and its partner Hublot are presenting a new original collection.
Conversed with the same approach used for designing a car at the Ferrari Design Centre and integrating Hublot’s watchmaking expertise, the Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph opens a new chapter in the partnership that unites Hublot and Ferrari.

Designed by Ferrari, crafted by Hublot – what’s the worst that could happen? This watch is the result of a team effort that began with Ferrari in maranello and ended in Nyon with Hublot. This new line in Hublot’s collections is intended to offer a watch that is deeply rooted in Ferrari’s DNA – combining strength, performance and agility – while being produced and perfected by the Hublot manufacture.
Created and designed by Ferrari, under the leadership of Head of Design Flavio Manzoni, the new Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph was designed by Ferrari, using the same creative processes as that used to developed a new sports car. The starting point for the designers was the Hublot movement around which they freely designed a high performance chassis. Like that of a Ferrari, its lattice structure offers maximum strength for minimal weight.

The black structure on the dial holds the chronograph counters and offers excellent legibility. The crown at 4 o’clock reduces the size of the watch and increases its aerodynamic look. Finally, the red push-button makes the design more ergonomic.
The chassis case comes with a modular construction and consists of three components – a skeleton middle, container, and back cover.

Beyond its design, the Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph is an epitome of fine watchmaking. This tourbillon chronograph is driven by a movement that was designed and developed by Hublot: the new HUB6311 calibre with manual winding which offers 5 days of power reserve. The tourbillon is visible on the dial and it offers both the aesthetics of a flying tourbillon and the operational stability of a tourbillon with two pivot points. It rotates once a minute.
The Ferrari logo is clearly visible at the 9 o’clock position whilst the Hublot logo is at 5 o’clock. The sapphire crystal reveals the mechanics that it shelters. A matt black block, affixed to the sapphire holds a twin half-second counter at 3 o’clock, the minutes counter at 11 o’clock and the column wheel at 1 o’clock.

The Techframe Ferrari 70 Years is available in three versions – King Gold, PEEK Carbon, and Titanium – each of which is produced in 70 limited editions. Every watch comes with a black rubber strap.

The 22nd Model for the 20th Anniversary: Patek Philippe Annual Calendar

In 2016, Patek Philippe’s Annual Calendar, which only needs to be corrected once a year, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, the manufacture has launched a new model of this complication. This watch (Ref. 5396) has been subtly reworked and refined and logically complements the 21 previous models that have been presented since 1996.

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The new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar is available in white gold with a dark gray sunburst dial and in rose gold with a silvery white opaline dial. Both models look familiar yet at the same time appear to be totally new. Familiar because of the style elements that dominate the series for years, and new because these elements have never before been combined this way.
The round of the case merges gracefully with the strap lugs, and a smoothly polished bezel frames the dial. The sapphire-crystal glass is prominently cambered, endowing the watch with volume and a modern look. You can easily spot the Calatrava personality in this one, which is somewhat of the archetype of all classic round watches.

The dial features an in-line double aperture in the upper half that displays the day of the week on the left and the month on the right. The date display is positioned in a large aperture at 6 o’clock. Together with the double aperture, it frames the 24-hour subsidiary dial with the moon-phase display in the lower half of the dial to assure a visually balanced configuration.
This layout is reminiscent of Patek Philippe perpetual calendars from the 1940s and 50s. The main difference lies in the position of the analog date scale, which is occupied by the 24-hour dial, which doubles as a day/night indication in the Ref. 5396.
The time is indicated in classic fashion: A peripheral circle of small gold minute markers frames the Breguet numerals. They harmonize great with the Dauphine-style hour and minute hands as well as with the long, slender sweep seconds hand.

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The heart of the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Ref. 5396 is a self-winding mechanical movement that correctly displays the calendar information for an entire year. Much of the finesse of the caliber 324 S QA LU 24H is visible through the sapphire-crystal case back.

And: good news for everyone who fell in love with this gorgeous timepiece: This anniversary edition is not a limited one.

45 Years Anniversary Edition from JS Watch Co. Reykjavik

c60a919b-eca3-4876-8aa0-94a9b0662014The Icelandic Watch Manufacturer JS Watch Co. Reykjavik introduces a new piece. The Islandus 45 Years Anniversary Edition was created in celebration of the Master Watchmaker of the firm, Gilbert O. Gudjonsson, who has now spent 45 years with the firm.

This Special Edition Watch has a solid Sterling Silver dial with Roman numerals and Flame Blued Breguet style hands, housed in a 44 mm Stainless Steel case with a Curved Sapphire Crystal and See-through Sapphire Crystal back, so that the Swiss Made movement can be viewed.

The watch is limited to 45 pieces only.