News: Ressence, Jaeger-LeCoultre and more
The top news stories from all the best watchmakers in the world, including Ressence, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Omega, plus Watchfinder wins ‘Watch Retailer of the Year’ at the 2014 UK Jewellery Awards.
Award-winning watchmaker Ressence has become available in the UK for the very first time, exclusively through Watchfinder & Co. Watchfinder has been with working with up-and-coming watchmakers—Ressence included—to bring the best and brightest talent into the UK. Both the Ressence Type 1 and Type 3 are available to view at Watchfinder’s London-based boutique.
Congratulations to TWM competition winner Adam Keisner, who has won not one, not two, but eight SevenFriday watches from the company’s ‘P’ collection. The prize includes a one-of-a-kind display case to show off the collection, plus the latest P3-03 ‘Bully’ watch. We hope you enjoy them, Adam.
The UK’s biggest and best watch exhibition is back at the Saatchi Gallery for 2014: it is, of course, SalonQP. Join all your favourite watchmakers in one place for an intimate yet expansive display of the very best from the likes of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ressence and Urwerk. Tickets are available through official ticket partner Watchfinder & Co.
Watchfinder & Co. had the honour of winning ‘Watch Retailer of the Year’ at the 2014 UK Jewellery Awards, which took place on 2nd July at the Hilton Hotel Park Lane. This was the 21st annual UK Jewellery Awards, and 2014 saw a record number of entries with the competition being the toughest yet.
Does London 2012 seem like forever ago? Omega certainly thinks so—it’s already looking forward to Rio 2016, launching its Olympic special edition Speedmaster Mark II in 2,016 pieces. The steel-cased chronograph, which uses the in-house cal.3330, fittingly features medal-like sub-dials in gold, silver and bronze.
When it comes to skeletonisation, Hysek really gets down to the bare bones. Its Io Skeleton Tourbillon features the brand's manual-wind HW12 like you've never seen it before. Only the essential components are present—most of the watch is just empty space—an effect enhanced by a black diamond flange that rotates when the watch is wound.
Zenith originally made the El Primero ‘Rainbow’ in 1997 for the French Airforce, enhancing the watch's pilot credentials. That classic has been re-imagined for this year's release of the Stratos Flyback Rainbow. The new watch sticks closely to the original look, including the distinctive multicolour minutes dial, designed for reading in dark, infrared conditions.
H. Moser & Cie.'s impossibly uncluttered Perpetual Calendar turned heads when it won at the GPHG in 2006, and again when it was released in DLC black at Baselworld this year. Now it returns again with an equally awe-inspiring solid gold dial and movement. The adapted HMC 341 movement has a 7-day power reserve.
This remarkable left-handed Panerai Luminor Submersible uses a minimalist, almost bauhaus design to excellent effect, and the unmissable left-sided crown is complimented by a date window in the equally unusual position of 9 o'clock. The dial is a black Clous de Paris pattern, while the movement is the three-day P.9000.
F.P. Journe is known for his extraordinary golden movements, but his dials are typically made with more traditional materials. Or are they? Three Journe series have been updated with gold dials and integrated embossed numerals. Don't be confused by the silver layer on top—that’s the real McCoy underneath.
Is Jaeger-LeCoultre just showing off now? The ultra-high-end maison's latest feat is a watch that combines three difficult complications—a minute repeater, flying tourbillon and a zodiacal calendar—into a single diamond-encrusted, artistically superlative masterpiece. That they only made eight of the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is just rubbing it in.
With violet jewels complementing azure screws, hands and tourbillon cage, the Ulysse Nardin Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture's understated hues are designed to show off the best of the UN170 calibre—its blueish silicon escapement wheel and balance spring. The flying tourbillon is just an added bonus.
Here's yet another reason to get excited about what's going on at Arnold & Son: another stunning limited edition TE8. Proving that Arnold can métier its art with the best of them, the new watch features exquisite, never-before-seen hand-engraved patterns on both front and back, although its fundamental design is classically English.
Priding itself on its pilot watches, IWC has honoured 20th century author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry before. But this special edition commemorates a specific flight: his last. Saint-Exupéry dramatically disappeared during a reconnaissance mission in 1944, and this gorgeous engraved chronograph is a worthy tribute.
Few doubted that science fiction has inspired MB&F's eccentric and fantastical horological machines, but the MusicMachine 2, which is a beautiful, futuristic music box, has been made to explicitly resemble the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek franchise. Powered by movements in the ‘engine’, it plays classic sci-fi themes via ingenious amplification systems.
Released to coincide with the launch of A. Lange & Söhne's new Moscow boutique, the exquisitely dark-dialled Langematik Perpetual is one of the first to feature a perpetual calendar with a large date. Both the calendar and moonphase are accurate to at least one day per century. [3f.jpg]
