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A class of their own
New Models

A class of their own

Wednesday, 18 January 2017
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal

“The desire to learn is the key to understanding.”

“Thirty years in journalism are a powerful stimulant for curiosity”.

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5 min read

While a tough eighteen months may have left their mark on Fine Watch brands, watchmaking’s elite have lost none of their ability to propose truly stunning creations. For proof, four timepieces and the confirmation of striking watches as a collector’s grail.

There are certain days when, it would seem, the horological planets align. For journalists in Geneva, the opening day of this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie was one such occasion. Fate, or rather the Press agenda, made their first outings into the aisles of the fair coincide with a panel of brands known for their incursions into micromechanical terrain that only the most seasoned names can negotiate. Surprises were in store, with one rather large fly in the ointment nonetheless: the slowdown in evidence since end 2015 would surely have reined in even the most adventurous temperaments, resulting in less extravagant, more accessible products. A theory compounded by the fact that Swiss watch export figures for 2016 show that the Fine Watch segment, i.e. with an export price above CHF 6,000 (over CHF 15,000 retail), had been hardest-hit, down 15%. And so the mood was, appropriately, one of cautious optimism.

Four of the five brands making presentations that day came with watches designed to make even veteran collectors go weak at the knees.

Confounding expectations, four of the five brands lining up their presentations that day pulled out of their hat watches flying so high as to be almost stratospheric. Watches designed to make even veteran collectors go weak at the knees. In these circumstances, price is evidently a factor that cannot be ignored, and doubtless one of the main reasons for the shaky patella: two of the four timepieces in question are positioned around the half a million Swiss francs mark; double that for the remaining two. At this level, we are clearly in the realms of the exceptional.

SIHH 2017 Richard Mille RM50-03
Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1, the world's lightest chronograph at just 40 grams.
The quest of a lifetime

First up was the RM 50-03 McLaren-F1 from Richard Mille, produced in collaboration with the renowned Formula 1 constructor. Nothing about a Richard Mille watch is ever ordinary, and this RM 50-03 is no exception, the case in point being its extreme lightness: the movement weighs just 7 grams and the entire watch barely tips the scales at 40 grams, including the strap. This split-seconds chronograph with tourbillon escapement is none other than the lightest ever built. The secret lies in graphene, a revolutionary nanomaterial that is six times lighter but two hundred times stronger than steel. The engineers at Richard Mille have achieved the feat of injecting graphene into the six hundred layers of Carbon TPT filaments used to manufacture the ultra-resistant case. The movement, meanwhile, trains the spotlight on grade 5 titanium and the extreme skeletonisation of its components. Leaving aside the technical nitty-gritty, this watch – of which 75 will be made – has every right to call itself a “technical masterpiece”.

For every watchmaker even slightly fascinated by the history of watchmaking excellence, the Grande Sonnerie represents a culmination.
Greubel Forsey

In a more classical vein, Greubel Forsey took the stage with its Grande Sonnerie. First a few quantitative elements to give some idea of the scale of this undertaking: 11 years of research and development, 935 components assembled inside a case that measures 43.5 mm in diameter and 16.13 mm high, 11 security functions and two patents for a timepiece that offers grande and petite sonneries on cathedral gongs, an on-demand minute repeater, and a 24-seconds inclined tourbillon escapement. It is the most complex watch ever to come out of Greubel Forsey; between five and eight will be made each year, according to capacity at the manufacture. “For every watchmaker even slightly fascinated by the history of watchmaking excellence, the Grande Sonnerie represents a culmination, a pinnacle that is often not reached in the space of a lifetime,” notes the brand. It will have taken Greubel Forsey slightly more than a decade to give substance to this horological grail.

SIHH 2017 Cartier Mysterious Double Tourbillon
Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon, a feat of technique and a watch head weighing just 50 grams.
Light is beautiful

The next talking point came from Cartier and its Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon, which carries the Poinçon de Genève. As the brand points out, this combination of its mysterious movement with one of the most demanding complications in the watchmaking repertoire constitutes a dual challenge: “In addition to the technical feat of assembling 448 components in a case measuring a mere 11.5 mm, this timepiece is aesthetically stunning. The openwork mechanism and contrasting black rhodium finish expose the transparency of the mysterious double tourbillon, and reveal the steady rhythm of the minute repeater on demand.” So as to achieve optimal sound, weight has been reduced to just 50 grams for the watch head with titanium case.

SIHH 2017 Vacheron Constantin - Traditionnelle 6500T-000P-B100
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon, a new in-house 2755 TMR calibre for the ultimate complications.

All that remained was for Vacheron Constantin to add the final flourish with its Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon. Another striking watch, it shares the illustrious company of the Les Cabinotiers Symphonica Grande Sonnerie 1860, a unique piece and the first grande sonnerie wristwatch in Vacheron Constantin’s history. Purity of form and simplicity of use for even the most complex mechanisms are the hallmark of Vacheron Constantin, as once again demonstrated by this Traditionnelle. The exclusive hand-guilloché pattern on the dial reveals nothing of the movement other than the escapement, reserving the secrets of its mechanism for the watch’s owner. So as not to let them down, there is a 58-hour power reserve whose indication is positioned on the back.

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