Quantième Perpétuel au Grand Balancier Accounts for February 29th

Antoine Martin Quantieme Perpetual au Grand Blancier

If you are on  my side of the International Date Line, it is still February 29th, 2012 and that means one of two things. Since it is a leap year, the date on your mechanical watch requires adjusting or it does not.  If the date on your watch does not need adjusting chances are it is a perpetual calender.  A perpetual calender is a highly complex watch complication, which accounts for differing lengths of months and leap years.  Many of the high end perpetual calender timepieces needs no adjustment until the year 2100.  Only highly skilled watchmakers craft perpetual calender, as this particular complication requires many additional components and extreme watchmaking know how, thus it is quite astonishing the brand ,Antoine Martin, debuted only last year, should present a perpetual calender as its start-up collection.
The company's focus is on functional perfection provided by unique technologically advanced movements and signature designs. This watch has been something of the brands flagship design, proving Antoine Martin is a new brand breaking old barriers and making  innovative strides in the world of horology.

Martin Braun

Don't be fooled by the brand's age,  the skill and watchmaking experience is 30 years old.  Martin Braun, the brands founder, who needs no introduction to the world of horology,  is not only experienced in watchmaking, but highly talented.   Entrepreneur Antoine Meier is a critical part of the team.  The brands CEO, Bruno Jufer has an impressive resume from a number of high end watch companies such as Maurice Lacroix, Jaquet Drois, Zenith and Carl F. Bucherer.

Bruno Jufer

The Antoine Martin Quantieme Perpetual au Grand Blancier is already breaking world records by incorporating the largest balance wheel (17.55mm in diameter) in a wrist watch crafted from grade 5 titanium as well as a cutting edge silicon escapement increasing efficiency and requiring no lubrication.  The in-house caliber AM39.001 has 60 jewels, beats at 18,000 vph, comprises of 324 components and is equipped with a 6 day power reserve. The Bauhaus design is all form giving way to function with a large amount of elegance. 
Elegance increased by a clever combination of polishing and satin finishing on the 18k rose gold case  The case itself is comprised of 85 components, including a unique and useful AM and PM indicator, leap year indicator at the 12 'o'clock and a day of the month indicator straddled by two bold screws.  The different levels of the face incorporating a silvered dial and long sweeping hand indicators display resolute efficiency and functionality with uncanny elegance.

The 18k white or rose gold case as well as the steel version is fixed to the wrist by a genuine Alligator mississippiensis (Louisiana alligator) strap and matching 18k rose or white gold folding clasp.
This style is also available is a rugged steel black DLC case with a black rubber strap and DLC folding clasp.

The timepieces Antoine Martin has presented so far integrate all factors leading to a successful watch company. The Antoine Martin Quantieme Perpetual au Grand Blancier is crafted for the person who relish complicated watch movements as well as appreciating clear functional and efficient time display.  


Visit Antoine Martin's debut of its latest TOURBILLON QUANTIÈME PERPÉTUEL collection from March 8th to 15th, 2012 in Baselworld Hall 4.1 Booth A15.  This is a brand to be watched. 

Jet Set Watches Official Sponser of Miss South Africa

Being an expat  from South Africa my eyes an ears are always open to South African News. So I was truly excited to read about Jet Set Watches being the Official Sponsor of  Miss South Africa.
(When do you hear about South Africa being associated with watch news?)
Since I am not really familiar with Jet Set watches, a quick look at their collection confirmed these watches  are fun in the sun timepieces targeting the trendy young beach crowd with bold colors, glittering accents and large dials.
 The watches are really affordable, under $250.00... and you can get a closer look at the Jet Set Collections and the gorgeous Miss South Africa 2011.

At Basel World on March 9th - Hall of Emotions 5.0 Booth D23, Melinda Bam, 22 year old Miss South Africa 2011 winner, will be presenting Jet Set's latest watch - the WB30 watch.

Sun City

This unique watch was presented to Melinda ,on December 11th 2011, in Sun City, South Africa, at a gala event crowning her Miss South Africa.  The watch is one of Jet Set's more high end styles and is encrusted with 140 diamonds. Beyond the diamond bezel, a silicon band wraps around the stainless steel case adding a look of casual glamor - a trendy look  Jet Set has perfected.   The watch is water resistant to 330 meters thereby increasing its beach worthiness.

• Jet Set is also the Official Watch of The Voice of  Holland - a Dutch Reality Singing Competition created by none other than Jon de Mol (of Big Brother fame).

ArtyA Evokes Passion in New Women's Watch

ArtyA's seemingly endless creativity has spilled over into a stunning woman's watch. The dial evokes the feeling of careless abandonment where beauty arises out of no where catching the onlookers by sudden surprise like a fiery sunset. The unique purple on the mother-of-pearl dial is from the spiky murex marine snail found only in  Essaouira, Morroco.  In ancient times the purple dye was so coveted that Cleopatra dyed the sails of her Royal barge purple. It is one of the most ancient dyes used as far back as 18th century BC as wall paint and pottery decorations. This color was associated with Ancient Roman Royalty.

Delicate gold leaves rest on the dial as though they had drifted on the wind and landed in a pool of water.  The art of beating gold into leaves was first mastered by the Egyptians in 1200 BC, thereby adding another ancient process to the dial of the watch. Surrounding a dial, which the Phoenicians would cherish, a steel case set with 735 diamond completes the look.

Harry Winston at the Oscars

As the glamorous and famous walk down the red carpet, tonight at the 84th Oscar Academy Awards,  amidst flashing camera bulbs and awestruck onlookers, one can be sure that glinting in the lights is jewelry from Harry Winston. One of the most reminiscent Oscar winning visions is that of Gwyneth Paltrow, 2011 Baume & Mercier's ambassador, accepting the 1999 Best Actress Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love." Above a pale pink dress glittered a 40 carat diamond Harry Winston necklace.

Harry Winston has been adding to the razzle dazzle on the red carpet since the 1943 Academy Awards when Harry Winston adorned Jennifer Jones, Best actress for "The song of Bernadette", in glamorous jewels. Each year, on the night of the Academy Awards, Harry Winston lends $200 million worth of exceptional jewelry. Harry Winston is known as jeweler to the stars and has outfitted numerous celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, and Salma Hayek.

It is hard to believe Harry Winston came from humble beginnings. Son of Jacob Winston, a Ukrainian immigrant, Harry used his incredible wit and exceptional sense of fine gems to surge ahead. His father opened up a small jewelery store in which Harry worked as a boy. He was just 12 years old when he spied a two carat emerald in a pawn shop, recognizing the gem for what it was, he bought it for 25 c and sold it two days later for $800. Harry Winston became legendary in the jewelry business and a part of the legend of "The Hope Diamond". Towards the end of its long journey from hand to hand, the Hope Diamond was sold by Pierre Cartier to U.S. socialite, Evelyn Walsh McLean. After her death in 1947, her grandchildren sold the Hope Diamond,,in 1949, to Harry Winston. It is said the Hope Diamond cursed those who owned it, but Harry Winston never believed the curse, and died from a heart attack at 82 on December 28th, 1978. Harry died long after he had donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958 as a gift to the American People, sending it to its final destination via the U.S Mail in a plain brown bag. He probably figured it could take care of itself as it did keep popping up throughout history.


In 1989 Harry Winston successor, his son, Ronald, establishes Harry Winston's first series of watches, The Ultimate Timepieces. Currently Harry Winston has five main timepiece collections:
The Avenue Collection, The Ocean Collection, The Premier Collection, The Signature Collection, and The Ultimate Collection. Harry Winston has 80 years of jewelry making to apply to its watches, so that the bracelets and bezels are provided with the art of jewelry making, bearing the best possible gems, and the movement is crafted by hand. Harry Winston has introduced incredible complication crafted with the utmost perfection that has carved a niche in the world of watchmaking.


Finally I have posted the song, by Marylin Monroe, "Diamonds are a girls best friend," Listen close and Harry Winston will be mentioned.

The Power of Movado - A Story of Recovery

His name is Ken, although he cannot say it. He was a co-worker until a couple of months ago. I saw him an hour before his stroke. He was dropping off a 12 pack of Bounty Towel at the office. He seemed a little tired and stressed. No hint of the huge blood clot building up in his brain. He smiled and bid me farewell. He was always inquiring how I felt or if I had eaten.

Ken was not at work the next day; he was fighting for his life.

Two months later, Ken was still in his coma.  He had overcome a potentially deadly infection and threads of response glimmered behind his closed eyes. A permanent employee had replaced a temporary employee who had replaced Ken. The permanent employee, a corporate fellow in a starched collar and pointed shoes, sorted through Ken's old desk with military precision. The last traces of Ken were being flung into a cardboard office box. I had offered to take the box to his wife.

I heard a clink of glass on the bottom of the filing cabinet beside Ken’s old desk, and the new employee withdrew a watch. I recognized it immediately. The leather black strap was soft and worn and a gold dot clung to the 12 ‘o’clock position amidst a black face. It was a Movado Museum Watch. The employee flung the Movado Watch among Ken's dog-eared odds and ends.

“Hey! That’s Kens,” I said with a protectiveness that surprised me.

I picked up the Watch and held it. I had seen Ken glancing at the Watch on so many occasions that ,to me, the Watch was an intimate extension of him. I felt the new employee had somehow invaded Ken's privacy. I was filled with a sudden urgency to return his Museum Watch. I felt he needed the Watch.

I called his wife, Susan.

“I found Ken’s Watch,” I said knowing how silly it sounded since he was in a coma and in no need of the time.

“Oh!” she said and hesitated. I could hear her throat clogging up. “Come see Ken,” she said after a moment.

“At the hospital?’ I said. Thinking to myself, “Obviously he's  at the hospital. Why did I say that?”

She gave me directions. I headed to the hospital immediately after work.

I tiptoed into Ken's room smelling hospital grade antiseptic. The room was dim. I stood by the doorway looking at his still form beneath Hospital blankets. Susan had fallen asleep by his side, her head on her folded arms, resting on the side of his bed. The room was still and I turned to leave.

“She’s asleep got to go.” I thought, feeling guilty but relieved.

 Then I felt the cool glass of the Movado Museum Watch against my palm. I squeezed it gently and tapped Susan on the shoulder. She sat up immediately, used to being on the alert.

She held my arm, “You came.” she said, and I cried and she cried.

I stretched out my hand and let the Movado Museum Watch lay flat against my palm. Susan took the watch from my hand and laid it against her cheek as fresh waves of tears rolled down her face. She carefully lifted Ken's wrist and around it she placed the Movado Museum Watch. I thought I saw his fingers move in response, but I was not sure.
Ken struggled up from his coma two weeks later, and it was two weeks after that he started looking at his Watch.
 Four months later, Ken cannot walk or talk or feed himself, but every once in a while, he looks at his Movado Museum Watch. A small action powering Susan’s hope that Ken will recover.
Susan believes, the Movado Watch links Ken to his old life, and plays a role in his recovery.

10 Ugly Watches! What Do You Think? Ugly or Not?

 

Corum Rolls Royce looks better on the hood of a car than on a wrist.  It kind of reminds me of awful draperies flapping behind a broken window of some deserted hotel 

 

Angular Momentum Time Explosion looks like it was kind of sweet before it went psycho and  chopped up its fellow collection mates and pasted their innards on its bezel like some sadistic trophy. 

  

Growl! This Leopard Print Rolex brings to mind unmentionable leopard print horrors roaming around Walmart's nightlife.

I love all Yvan Arpa's ,of Romain Jerome Titanic DNA fame, creations.  I really do and that is why I seriously contemplated against putting his Dinosaur Dung Watch on this list.  But I figured it is crafted from fossilized feces excreted by a plant eating specie ,give or take, a 100 million years ago and the strap is made from the skin of an American Cane Toad...and hey Dung is ugly and so is the skin of a toad.

 Any iced out bling bling Casio G-Shock makes me cringe.  Yes! I am aware of the hip hop trend... and I'm sure Lil Wayne will pull this watch off very nicely, but baby not around my wrist. 

Just because a timepiece cost 25 Million Dollars does not mean I have to like it.  The 201-carat Chopard watch looks more like a chicken cutlet breaded in diamonds. 

So that's where my old answering machine went.  Fancy that! No wait! This is the MY01 - Reverse Collection by Hong Kong Designer , Micheal Young. 

A bit more serious here.  What you see is a vintage timepiece from World War One with indices painted in highly radioactive Radium. Radium glows in the dark. It is not that these watches are ugly, but the tragic circumstances that took the young lives as a result of  painting the Radium on these dials.  Click here for the complete story of  "The Deadly Dials and the Glowing Girls"

Someone has being playing in the scrap yard again.  The Mandeville Dance Watches by Ulli Kempelmann look like they took one hell of a detour in a pretty bad neighborhood  before getting to the dance.  You kind of feel bad for these poor little dears, and your gut instinct is to patch them up as best as you could before sending them on their way with a new set of directions.

The Charriol Iron Watch is shaped like the end of a golfing iron for all golfing enthusiasts out there. I am not a golfer, so I suppose I shouldn't pass judgment on the watch, but there is something about the shape of the dial that makes me a bit squeamish. But beauty and ugly is in the eye of the beholder.  After all we are not mirrors reflecting what we see, but perceiving beings unconsciously making snap decisions on what we perceive.

I would love you to comment in agreement or not and add a mention of your most disturbing watch.

De GRISOGONO Otturatore Timepiece Changes Face

Small Seconds Subdial

At BaselWorld this year one can get an eye to eye view of the new De Grisigono's Otturatore Timepiece Collection housing  four complications revealed one at a time via a rotating dial aperture.   The watch is pretty pricey costing 69,100 - 71,100 francs, but De Grisigono emphasizes the intensive research and development required to create the movement. I blogged about this watch back in 2009, when the watch was less square and edgy.  I am still deciding which model I prefer.

Moon Phase

I have to say it is a brilliant way of incorporating four complications without cluttering the dial.  Even the rotor is under wraps. 
The 18k rose or white gold case is an imposing 50mm tall, 45mm wide 16mm thick.  The pushers hold an immense presence commanding as much attention as the dial itself.  I would have thought if the complications and rotor were crafted with discretion, the pushers could have been a little less obvious.  The pushers run the show, however, initiating the 90° dial change in a few tenths of a millisecond, undetectable by the human eye.  The speed requires a two step procedure.  When one depresses the pusher another mechanism is activated which in turn moves the dial.  The pusher itself would not have enough power to move the dial at that speed, thus a second mechanism is incorporated.  The second mechanism is equipped with its own mainspring barrel, which draws energy from the lower pusher, which must be "pumped" a couple of times.

Date Aperture

The automatic DL 19-89 movement is an in house effort comprising of 574 components, 28 jewels and beating at 28,800 vph.  The clou de paris cobbled textured dial is available in silver,ruthenium, black or brown and serves as a worthy landscape for the aperture. Elegant “dauphine” style hands crafted in either 18K rose or white gold allow for a bold efficient time display.  A sapphire crystal case back allows one to view the complicated mechanism at work.  The watch is fixed with a comfortable alligator leather straps and secured to the wrist by a 18 k rose or white gold Signature De Grisigono folding clasp.  Although this watch has a 100 feet water resistance, for this price, I would hesitate to get it wet.

42 Hour Power Reserve

De Grisigono has always captured my attention ever since I first blogged about its Meccanico DG watch in 2008 and the Be Eight Collection and the "8 rules of femininity" later that year.  De Grisigono  watches are renowned for their uncanny distinction and exceptional craftsmanship. They were one of the first watch companies to use Galuchat as watch bands  De Grisigono was established in 1993 by famous diamond cutter and jeweler Fawaz Gruosi. Fawaz Gruosi leaped to fame when he
cut the world's largest black diamond, "Spirit of De Grisogono Diamond"  - 587 carats in the rough and 312.24 when cut.  It was set into a white gold ring and surrounded by 702 white diamonds - a total of 36.69 carats.  Fawaz Gruosi sold the ring to a private client.