Insignum Reserve Alpha Bold Design

A relatively new German Brand, Insignum,  has started to gain recognition for hip affordable timepieces. Insignum Timepieces are bold and trendy baring vague resemblance to other higher end brands for a fraction of the price.    Insignum timepieces, however,  can stylistically stand on their own.

   My personal favorite is the Insignum  Reserve Alpha Collection, which ,come to think of it., does bare a resemblance to Concord's C1 watches.  In fact the sub dials vertically placed on the bezel resembles Concord's  Quantum Gravity.

Insignum Reserve Epoche

 The C1's prices commence at the $5,000 mark and the price of the Concord's Quantum Gravity is well ... astronomical - far above my watch purchasing budget. The Insignums Alpha on the other hand are listed around the $599.00 mark.  Of course in pricing other factors come into play, which is warrant for another discussion.

All the Insignum timepieces are Quartz.  The Insignum Alpha is a Quartz Swiss ISA 8172 - not ETA or Ronda, but pretty good none the less and widely used.   The crystal is Sapphire Coated Mineral Crystal - cheaper than a crystal crafted entirely of sapphire crystal.  Mineral crystal is not as hard as sapphire crystal and is prone to scratches. Sapphire crystal is almost as hard as diamonds.  Coating the mineral crystal with sapphire crystal ensures maximum scratch resistance.


The case material is Titan - which is probably a titanium alloy - of which there are a wide variety varying in quality.  A Titanium alloy is titanium with another chemical element. The appeal of titanium is its light weight property  and corrosion resistance. The watch is 141.4 grams - which is quite light in relation to its really large 54.3 mm size.
 The strap is Caoutchoc - an uncommon term used for natural or Indian rubber.  This type of rubber is really stretchy and flexible which provides for a very comfy fit around the wrist.  The type of rubber is also completely water proof, which is a nice addition to the watches 100 meter water resistance. The watch is secured to the wrist by a regular buckle.

Insignum Tornado Fashion Line

Models in the Insignum Reserve Line are in limited editions of 888 pieces. Insignum appeals to the attraction of exclusiveness within an individual. The Insignum Reserve line is always a huge success.  Oftentimes the Limited Edition watches are sold out before Insignum International distributors have a chance to get their hands on even one.  In 2011, Insignum solved this problem by unveiling a limitless new line called Insignum Premium Line. 
I have to say I really like the Insignum Alpha. This collection has a couple really cool attractive features:

• Handy compass placed vertically on the case between the 12 and 3 'o'clock position.
• Prominent display of bold hour indices placed vertically and at an angle. 
• Chronograph movement enabling timing. 
• Vertically placed seconds sub dial beneath the  3 and 6 'o' clock shaped like an old Kodak camera I once had as a kid. 
• Prominent screws exhibited on bezel.

Insignum has a wide range of collections and styles suited for a variety of requirements and tastes.  The Insignum Tornado Fashion Line is crafted in 316L steel which has superior corrosion resistance to regular steel. The Insignum Reserve Epoche Collection is unique in its angular case and prominent indices.  This Collection is protected by a Sapphire crystal provided with a 15 year warranty. Its Art Collection renders depictions of skulls in various forms of distress. I am not sure - but it seems Insignum's skulls are a tad less ferocious than Corums.   Perfect for Halloween!

Dubey & Schaldenbrand Unveils Grand the Shar DBT Ti Tourbillon

Dubey & Schaldenbrand (founded 1946) unveils a surprisingly dark case to house its latest tourbillon movement. The darkness of case is due to titanium grade 5 treated with an  electroplasma oxidation process.  This process further increases the hardness and resilience of the case.  The rich blackness is accentuated by electric blue screws and hands.
This is the first time Dubey & Schaldenbrand has housed a tourbillon in a case treated with this patented oxidation process.  Although this process is used in the sophisticated medical and aerospace industries, Dubey & Schaldenbrand has improved the process to enhance the quality of its timepieces.

  Bold roman numerals emblazon the upper half of the dial in contrasting white. Skeleton DS hands are coated with SuperLuminova, which ensures time display in dim conditions.
  The case shape is by far one of my favorites.  The shape resembles that of a large wooden cable reel,  The likes one would see on an electrical truck baring bright yellow cables.  The vision of this comparison makes the perception of the watch all the more powerful. The dial is protected by an attractive convex spherical scratch resistance sapphire crystal treated on either side with an anti-reflective coating.  For optimal viewing of the tourbillon base 8001 movement, transparent sapphire crystal is affixed to the case back as well.


  The watch is equipped with a shock protection Incabloc.  A trade name for a spring-loaded mounting system for the jewel bearings which support the balance wheel.  This system protects the wheel's pivots from harm if the watch is subjected to sudden sharp movements.

The watch is capable of a 100 hour power reserve and is water resistant to 50 meters. A black alligator strap is affixed to the watch case by really cool lugs and is secured around the wrist by a titanium grade 5 buckle treated with the electroplasma oxidation process.

Yes! Powerful yet elegant.  An excellent combination - sought after, but often unattained.

The cost of the watch: $127,500.

Bovet Timekeeping Elegance from Wrist to Tabletop to Fob (Fashion Permitting)

It is one thing having an elegant timepiece strapped to ones wrist.  Quite another set upon a table for all to see.  Bovet has provided for both in an exquisite display of timekeeping versatility.  This attractive and highly sociable concept is "the Amadeo Concept" as described by Bovet. This case concept allows for transformation from wristwatch to table top clock to pocket watch without the need for tools.  The particular timepieces depicted above are Bovet's  new line of watches in commemoration of the 190th anniversary of the company. The Amadeo Fleurer Rising Star is a fine addition to the Bovet Grand Complication Collection.
Although the timepiece exudes extravagant elegance in its entirety, it is the wondrous componential designs  interacting in aesthetics and function. The movement is entirely in-house - crafted by Bovet's manufacture Dimier 1738, Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Artisanale.

• The star of the show is the tourbillon.  Invented by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795 for use in a pocket watch., this watch mechanism (the tourbillon is not strictly defined as a complication) is a revolving cage in which the balance wheel and escapement is placed.  It function: to counteract the effects of gravity on the watches movement - click here for an in depth tourbillon discussion.  The 13.50 mm diameter tourbillon of the Amadeo Fleurer Rising Star is crafted in such a manner as to appear floating in mid air without support. 
• Above the arresting tourbillon, two three quarter plates incorporate additional complications.
•  A main guilloché dial in rippling royal blue is the backdrop to an elegant ,almost whimsical, display of time. Two sub-dials , one at the 3'o' clock position and another at the 9 'o'clock position display additional time zones each baring an entirely separate day/night indicators. Clearly labelled above each sub dial is the name of the corresponding city, of which there are 24 choices.
• A 7 day power reserve indicator is situated at the 12 'o'clock.

Neil Armstrong and his Omega Speedmaster

The world grieves the death of astronaut and legend Neil Armstrong who died this past Saturday at 2:45pm at the age of 82 from complications due to heart surgery.
Neil Armstrong will be known for generations to come as the first man on the moon.
 On July 20th 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped out of his Apollo 11 lunar module "Eagle" and onto the rocky surface of the moon uttering the iconic phrase 
 "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind ."
The timekeeper for the Apollo 11 mission was the Omega Speedmaster professional. The only watch approved by NASA for EVH or extra-vehicular activities. The watch was suitable for use outside a spacecraft. Both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were given an Omega Speedmaster for this mission.
Neil Armstrong left his Omega Speedmaster in the lunar capsule, while Buzz Aldren wore his on the moon.  Buzz Aldrin wrote about his Omega Speedmaster in his 1973 book, "Return to Earth"
"It was optional to wear while we were walking on the surface of the moon ... few things are less necessary when walking around on the moon than knowing what time it is in Houston, Texas. Nonetheless, being a watch guy, I decided to strap the Speedmaster onto my right wrist around the outside of my bulky spacesuit."

2005 Omega Speedmaster Professional - Gemini 4- First Space Walk-40th Anniversary

  We know the reason why Buzz Aldrin wore his Speedmaster on the moon. Unfortunately that particular watch disappeared in the early 1970's on its way to the Smithsonian Institution.

What is the reason Neil Armstrong left his Speedmaster in the lunar capsule?

After all, the Speedmaster was equipped to handle the unearthly atmosphere.  

Buzz Aldrin and his Speedmaster on his Apollo 11 mission

In fact, NASA had actually chosen the Swiss-made timekeeper for all its astronauts four years prior to this momentous date.
NASA did not simply pick Omega out of a hat, the Speedmaster and its rivals were subjected to rigorous testing. The watches simmered for hours at 93 degrees then were immediately frozen at - 18 degrees. The watches were steeped in pure Oxygen for two days, struck with tremendous blows, compressed then decompressed, vibrated, subjected to incredible speeds and numerous other experiments. The only watch to emerge virtually unscathed within the allowed deviations of 5 seconds per day was the Speedmaster.
Till today, the Speedmaster is the preferred choice for astronauts. The Russians too came to favor the Omega Speedmaster when they discovered the Watch in 1975 during the Apollo-Soyuz link-up.

Speedmaster professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 40th Anniversary -2009 LE

As a watch leaves the confines of earths atmosphere, it is subjected to elements never experienced on earth. The atmospheric pressure within a watch might explode as the watch experiences zero-gravity. Omega with its ingenuity has affixed a clamp ring to the glass of the Speedmaster, enabling the watch to withstand five times the amount of pressure the watch will experience in space. The internal pressure of the watch has to remain constant in order to prevent the lubricating oil ,which adheres to the moving parts of the watch, to leak, obscuring the glass and preventing the watch mechanisms from working properly. Alternatively, a vacuum inside the watch may cause the watch to run to quickly as it would prevent the balance wheel from effectively working.
Omega Speedmaster's glass is sufficiently thick and elastic to withstand the great temperature differences that occur while exiting the earths atmosphere and traveling through space.

 In addition the Watch needs to be extremely accurate as the depletion of an Astronauts Oxygen Supply occurs in minutes and seconds rather than in volume. Other Luxury Watch Companies have tried and tried again to vanquish the Omega Speedmaster, and capture the NASA contract; however, the Speedmaster has always defeated the rivals, and till today, still remains the Watch in Space.

Prior to the Speedmaster's trip to the moon, the watches were used in other space missions.  Gus Grissom and John Young wore their Speed masters on Gemini 3 on March 23rd, 1965. Ed White wore his Speedmaster 105.003 secured with velcro and a long nylon strap to the outside of the left-side sleeve of his G4C spacesuit during the first American Space Walk.


Neil Armstrong did not leave his Speedmaster in the lunar capsule as a result of the watches ineptitude, but rather as a result of its extreme integrity in harsh conditions. You see, the module's electronic counter had failed, and Armstrong left the Watch on board as a back-up.

MB & F Moon Machine Watch with Stepan Sarpaneva

One thing I love about MB & F horological machines is its fluid capacity to incorporate other watch companies and artists into its Horological Machines without effecting the signature mark of its maker.   In the name of his company, "Maximilian Büsser and Friends, Maximilian Büsser stresses the importance of joint collaboration in creating masterpieces. Joint collaboration that harnesses the best of best to make a product of perfection.

On MB & F Friends List

Maximilian Büsser and Stepan Sarpaneva

MB & F and Boucheron

In the past,   MB & F has collaborated with  Boucheron  to create an horological machine encrusted in  bright colored gems.   For the Only Watch Auction of 2011,  Maximilian Büsser worked in collaboration with Paris-based Chinese artist, Huang Hankang, who painted the Panda astride the Thunderbolt, to serve as the reference for the HM4 Only Watch. The  HM2.2 "Black Box"  had the bright signature shapes of Alain Silberstein. In 2009, the horological world was abuzz with the MB & F HM No.1 which heralded great watchmaking and designing  minds like Peter Speake-Marin, Eric Giroud and Laurent Besse.


MB & F Adds a Friend 

One striking collaboration produced the MB & F Moon Machine Watch.  The moon face is the  creation of Finland based watchmaker, Stepan Sarpaneva,who has contributed to Parmigiani, Piaget and Christophe Claret. His distinct Korona Moonshine face lends a creepy knowing look to his representation of the moon. Upon meeting Maximilian Büsser, Stepan Sarpaneva suggested a moon phase for the great MB & F horological machines. Maximilian Büsser loved the idea and a collaboration was born. The MB & F movement design is founded on the 3D mechanism created by Jean-Marc Viderreht/Agenhor. Stepan Sarpaneva's touch upon the Moon Machine Watch is threefold 1) The "Moon Face" 2) Northern Star theme 3) Sarpaneva's signature "tooth faced" Korona".

The HM3 in the Light of the Moon

Sarpaneva Korona Moonshine Watch

On the MB & F Moon Machine, beneath the bulging  eyes of the HM3 Frog, seven bright stars of the  Ursa Major constellation portray the Big Bear Constellation and the seven stars of the Ursa Minor .  With an unblinking gaze, the moon ,an almost lifelike expression of amused disdain, play its phase as a good moon should.  It is no wonder the moon looks slightly unhappy, thinking it is the master of time now bends and bows to another - the frog - as it appears and disappears time after time within a distinct Sarpaneva Korona.

The finished product is a work of moving art.  Something of beauty with a definite function. The bulbous eyes are aluminum  rotating domes  upon which the time in hours and minutes is writ. Display of time is enabled by the passage of ceramic ball bearings and the rotating hemispheres.  A single tear centers atop each dome as if the frog crying its eventual demise.  An allusive multi level rotor disc crafted from steel and 22K gold is treated with laser to create the twinkling likeness of the Northern Stars.

The timepiece of 319 components and 36 rubies beat at 28,800 vph.  The hemispheres and the cased back and front are covered with scratch resistance sapphire crystal.

To have this mechanical wonder upon ones wrist grants  the privilege of two great minds in a single timepiece - provided you have $100,000 to spend. The MB & F Moon Machine watch  is available in three collections of limited to 18 pieces each: Black titanium case baring white gold moons against a dark blue sky; Black titanium case baring white gold moons against a blue sky or a pink gold case baring pink gold moons against the backdrop of an anthracite sky. The watch is affixed to the wrist with a black crocodile strap and sealed with a folding clasp in titanium or gold.

The Olympics Omega Lost to Longines.

It is a great honor to be an Olympic Timekeeper - an honor which has been an unbroken chain of timekeeping triumphs for Omega since Los Angeles 1932. Almost unbroken that is... For whatever reason Omega lost its right to time the ill-fated Munich 1972 games.
In a recent exclusive interview with Master of Sports-timing ,since 1969, Omega's Peter Hürzeler and Swimming World, Peter explained:

"In those years, we were two big watch groups- OMEGA and Longines. We were timing competitions in our respective names, and were able to collaborate for major events, but, we were 30kms away doing the same thing. In 1972, after we lost (the right to time-sic) the Olympic Games in Munich, Swiss Timing was founded to be the leader in sports timekeeping. OMEGA returned as Official Olympic Timekeeper in 1976" 

So Longines got the right to time the  Munich 1972 Olympic games, a bitter sweet one-time honor clouded by the Munich Massacre in which 11 Israeli athletes and trainers were surprised in their sleep and captured by a Palestinian Terrorist Organization - Black September. The 11 Israelis and trainers were all murdered.

Jamaican Sprinter Silver Medalist Yohan Blake Among Top Sportsman to Wear Richard Mille

Yohan Blake

Newly appointed Richard Mille ambassador Jamaican Sprinter Silver Medalist, Yohan Blake ran the 100m and the 200m race with the exquisite $500,000 Richard Mille yellow and green watch strapped to his wrist.   Being of extreme lightweight, the watch did not effect his stride in the least, and it complimented the Jamaican running gear to perfection, but it did run him into some trouble.
The watch in all its colorful glory raised an IOC eyebrow or too. They may want to question Yohan Blake to see if any IOC branding guidelines were crossed.


If it was an Omega timepiece well that would be a whole other issue, since Omega is the official Olympic timekeeper since the 1932 Los Angeles games, and things get a bit prickly if anther watch company takes center stage. IOC wants to limit exposure to non-Olympic brands at the Games.  Even spectators are limited to the logo size on their own clothes.



If the Richard Mille watch was a dowdy thing, with shoddy craftsmanship, no one would have paid it any mind, but the watch and runner took the media by storm.

Rafael Nadel

 The colors of the watch matched the outfit, designed by Cedella Marley, Bob Marley's daughter, to perfection, which is another breach in the strict IOC regulations.  It is only permissible for athletes to wear items that are part of their countries sponsored apparel.

 The Richard Mille Watch is renowned for the perfect companion to a sportsman due to its extreme lightness, incredible durability and resistance to sports related shocks. This is not the first time a Richard Mille Watch has appeared around the wrist of a famed sportsman.

• World No. 3 Tennis Champion, Rafael Nadel first  wore his18 gram RM027  weighing in at a mere 18 grams to Wimbledon in 2010.  He wore his RM027 to subsequent games.  He lost it, but got another RM027 tourbillon - seen here pictured on his wrist at the French Open.  He lost this one too - soon after the pi was taken.  The watch was allegedly stolen from his hotel room about two months ago. Unfortunately the tennis champ is having a rough year due to a persistent knee injury.  He was forced to pull out of the U.S. Open in NYC and he was unable to defend his title at the Olympics.

Felipe Massa

• Brazilian Formula One Racing Driver, Felipe Massa, has worn his RM011 in numerous races and has many limited editions in his name - the latest of which is the Richard Mille’s RM 056 Felipe Massa Sapphire.  The Split Seconds Chrono Tourbillon, unveiled at the SIHH 2012, is encased entirely in Sapphire Crystal and worth $1.65 Million Dollars. 



Bubba Watson

• Golfer and 76th Masters Champion, Bubba Watson, sports his RM038 Bubba Watson Watch $525,000 watch during the tournament. People did chatter about this pricey watch arouond his wrist.  The chatter, however, did involve a good amount of awe at the incredible lightness of watch color due to a cutting edge magnesium-aluminum alloy. 

Pablo MacDonough

• Famous  Argentinean polo player Pablo MacDonough, wore an RM010 in the polo fields. If you remember (if you don't click here) polo is the game which prompted the introduction of the Jaeger Le-Coultre Reverso.  Richard Mille known for resilience in competition, designed the $580,000 RM053 Pablo MacDonough crafted from titanium carbide for the game of Polo. The mechanism is sloped at a 30 degree angle enabling minimal exposure to impact and optimum visual contact of wearer without a turn of the wrist. Right porthole indicates hours and minutes and left houses a tourbillon bearing a red second hand.

RM053 Pablo MacDonough

Many a watch brands would gasp at allowing a half a million dollar watch  worn around the wrist of a sportsman whose entire focus is on winning the game.  The RM027 comes face to face with  oncoming tennis balls.  The RM011 screams around racetracks.  The RM038 endures sharp impact of club against ball.  The RM053 is game to knocks and jolts. Richard Mille places its watches in the game to prove performance in the natural settings.