New releases - Vulcain Skindiver Salmon Dial

  

Launched in January 2023, this vintage-looking timepiece inspired by the 1960 brand's classic now comes in a new variant with a salmon dial tone. Water resistant to 200m, the 38mm stainless steel case features a unidirectional fluted bezel with a black ceramic inlay, and houses the ETA 2824 self-winding caliber with a 38-hour power reserve. The 50 pieces of this limited edition are priced at CHF 1,490 each.

 

 

Watches at auction - Christie's, 13 and 26 May

As is often the case, Patek Philippe and Rolex are the undisputed kings of the upcoming live auctions at Christie’s.

The highlights of the Geneva event (13 May) include a rare ‘Oman’ section featuring 7 vintage and modern Rolexes, property of various owners, each made at the request of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said (1940-2020), the Sultan of Oman. One of the most interesting aspects of such timepieces is that the dials were specially designed only for the Omani watches in order to spotlight the Khanjar emblem or the signature of the Sultan himself.

 

Rolex Ref. 1665 Sea Dweller, circa 1971. Estimate: CHF 200,000-300,000

 

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263, circa 1974. Estimate: CHF 600,000-1,200,000

 

The Hong Kong sale (26 May) features several outstanding Patek Philippe watches, as well as commissioned pieces by F.P.Journe and sought-after, discontinued Rolex Daytona references.

 

Patek Philippe Ref. 3448, 1977. Estimate: HKD 1,200,000-2,400,000 (EUR 140,000-280,000)

 

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523J, 1955. Estimate : HKD 55,000,000-120,000,000 (EUR 6,350,000-13,850,000). This ‘Dual Crown World Time’ with a map of North America depicted on its cloisonné enamel dial is the most valuable timepiece ever to be offered in Christie’s Hong Kong auction room

 

 

Mini-documentary - An oustanding innovator

The latest mini-documentary from the 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi YouTube channel. Henri Rodanet - The career and inventions of the French watchmaker at the service of three great brands.

 

 

Mini-documentario - Un grande innovatore

L'ultimo mini-documentario dal Canale YouTube 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi. Henri Rodanet: la carriera e i brevetti dell'orologiaio francese al servizio di tre Case storiche.

 

 

New releases - Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Obsidian

The brand has paired its perpetual calendar with a silver obsidian dial featuring inclusions that formed when drops of mineral-rich sulfide liquid became trapped in the rock as it solidified. The white gold 42 mm case features deep blue sapphires set in dark claws. The self-winding Caliber 1255P has a 42-hour power reserve.

 

 

WATCH ADS - 2nd EDITION / SECONDA EDIZIONE

The second edition of Watch Ads 1900-1959, first volume of Marco Strazzi 's work about advertisement in 20th Century watchmaking, is now available at bookshops. Click here to learn more, download the PDF preview file and order online.

The second volume (Watch Ads 1960-2000) will be released next September.  

 

È disponibile in libreria la seconda edizione di Watch Ads 1900-1959, primo volume dell'opera di Marco Strazzi dedicata alla pubblicità orologiera nel Ventesimo Secolo. Clicca qui per saperne di più, scaricare l'anteprima in formato PDF e acquistare il volume online.

Il secondo volume (Watch Ads 1960-2000) sarà pubblicato nel prossimo mese di settembre. 

 

 

Art & Time - Simon Cederquist

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

Astronauts, elephants, deers, lights, shadows, typewriters, telescopes … And table clocks, longcase clocks, watchmaking tools. Time and timepieces are recurring themes in the works of the Swedish photographer Simon Cederquist. Two examples of his surrealistic style are shown here.

“The watchmaker” (above) features an unusual craftsman in a cramped workshop. In “The Eighth Day” (below), longcase clocks are lined up along the right wall of a narrow canyon, as an elephant, an astronaut and a deer walk towards the setting sun.

Salvador Dali is one the biggest inspirations for Cederquist, who won a contest titled “What would Dali do?” back in 2009. He combines studio work and darkroom skills with Photoshop editing.

All of his photographs are carefully thought through, even planning the details like how many centimeters away from the ground the camera needs to be, and accordingly, how to achieve the perfect shadows. When he travels to different countries, he researches the position of the sun at a specific time of the day, and this in order to achieve the same shadows when he later photographs people and objects in the studio.
The final artworks are mosaics made out of images printed with an inkjet printer, then glued with bookbinder glue on an artist’s linen cloth, painted by the artist with acrylic paint, and coated with UV-protective high gloss varnish.

ITALIANO

Astronauti, elefanti, cervi, luci, ombre, machine da scrivere, cannocchiali … E orologi da tavolo, da parete, strumenti per orologiai. Il tempo e i segnatempo sono temi ricorrenti nell’opera del fotografo svedese Simon Cederquist. Ecco due esempi del suo stile surrealista. “L’orologiaio” presenta un artigiano insolito in un laboratorio angusto. In “L’ottavo giorno” una serie di orologi da parete sono allineati sul lato destro di uno stretto canyon dove un elefante, un astronauta e un cervo camminano verso il tramonto.
Salvador Dalì è una delle fonti d’ispirazione principali di Cederquist, che nel 2009 ha vinto una competizione intitolata “Cosa farebbe Dalì?”. La sua arte coniuga il lavoro in studio e nella camera oscura con il ritocco mediante Photoshop. Le sue immagini sono il frutto di uno studio meticoloso che arriva alla definizione di dettagli come la distanza in centimetri della macchina fotografica dal suolo, finalizzata a ottenere ombre perfette. Quando è in viaggio all’estero, Cederquist studia la posizione del sole in ogni momento della giornata per riprodurre le ombre quando fotografa oggetti e persone in studio.
Il risultato finale è un mosaico d’immagini ottenute con stampanti a getto d’inchiostro, incollate su tela da artista con colla per rilegatori, dipinte con colori acrilici e infine rivestite con vernice extra lucida per la protezione dai raggi UV.