COMING SOON - A BRAND NEW SERIES

“Some old watches come with engraved dedications on their cases. It is occasionally possible to find out interesting stories and personalities behind these few words and digits …” 

The new mini-documentary series starts January 5. Stay tuned!

 

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – The prize list

The GPHG Academy - regrouping 650 key figures in the profession worldwide - and the 2022 Jury chaired by Nick Foulkes attributed 21 prizes including the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix “best-in-show” distinction, which was awarded to MB&F for the Legacy Machine Sequential Evo watch.

Akrivia, Bulgari, Grand Seiko, Ferdinand Berthoud, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Hermès, Krayon, M.A.D. Editions, Parmigiani Fleurier, Sylvain Pinaud, TAG Heuer, Trilobe, Tudor, Van Cleef & Arpels and Voutilainen brands were also honored with one of the awards.

The 90 nominated timepieces, including the winners, are on display at the Musée Rath in Geneva until 20 November 2022. The 2022 winners will also be presented in New York from December 1 to 4.

 

THE WINNERS

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: MB&F, Legacy Machine Sequential Evo
Ladies’ Watch Prize: Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonda PF Automatic
Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Le temps voyageur
Men’s Watch Prize: Akrivia, Chronomètre Contemporain II
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Le temps voyageur
Iconic Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Monaco X Gulf   
Tourbillon Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton
Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Krayon, Anywhere
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Ferdinand Berthoud, FB 2RSM.2-1

Chronograph Watch Prize: Grönefeld, 1941 Grönograaf Tantalum
Diver’s Watch Prize: Tudor, Pelagos FXD
Jewellery Watch Prize: Bulgari, Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewellery
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Voutilainen, Ji-Ku
“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Trilobe, Nuit Fantastique Dune Edition
Challenge Watch Prize: M.A.D. Editions, M.A.D.1 Red
Mechanical Clock Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Fontaine Aux Oiseaux automaton
Innovation Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watch
Audacity Prize: Bulgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra 10th Anniversary
Chronometry Prize: Grand Seiko, Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon
“Horological Revelation” Prize: Sylvain Pinaud, Origine
Special Jury Prize: François Junod, automaton-maker and sculptor

 

New releases - Krayon Anywhere

The brand’s second creation indicates the length of the day and the time at which the sun rises and sets. Dedicated hands, placed in the centre of the dial, display the hours and minutes. A small sun circulates in perpetual motion upon an annular zone, indicating the time over 24 hours. The annular zone has two sectors: day (sky blue) and night (dark blue). The respective lengths constantly change, indicating by their position the sunrise and sunset times that can be read from the fixed indicator ring. A 39 mm pink or white gold case houses the 5 mm thick in-house movement. 

Nota per i lettori di lingua italiana: il Giornale degli Orologi ha pubblicato un articolo di Marco Strazzi su questo modello. Clicca qui per leggerlo.

 

 

Classic timepieces - Roamer Calendar (ca. 1950)

The latest mini-documentary from 10e10.ch's YouTube channel: a 100 percent in-house made watch of the early 1950s - complicated but reasonably priced. Enjoy!

 

Orologi vintage - Roamer Calendar (circa 1950)

Il nuovo mini-documentario dal Canale YouTube di 10e10.ch: un modello di manifattura dei primi Anni 50, complicato ma economico. Buona visione!

 

Timepieces at auction

The catalog of Christie’s 7 November Geneva auction includes a few timepieces that are remarkable for different reasons.

  

The Swiss mountain guide, chemist and oxygen specialist Jürg Marmet wore this Rolex Ref. 6298 on his successful ascent of the Mount Everest on 23 May 1956. He was only the third human ever to reach the world’s highest peak. Part of the route that the Swiss team chose to climb Everest enabled them to simultaneously conquer the world’s fourth-highest mountain, Lhotse, for the first time. 

The engraving on the case back refers to the 1953 expedition to Baffin Island (Canada). Estimate: CHF 20’000-40’000 

This is the Number 1 Ref. 5402SA, the stainless steel and gold ‘Jumbo’ Royal Oak made from 1977 to 1985 in a total of 951 examples. Estimate: CHF 200’000-400’000.

This timepiece belongs to the Cartier ‘Paris Crash’ series released in 1991 as a tribute to the model produced by the brand’s London branch in the late 1960s. Jean-Jacques Cartier and the designer Rupert Emmerson were behind the creation of the original Crash. Estimate: CHF 120’000-180’000.

Only three examples of the Rolex Cosmograph Ref. 6263 'Paul Newman Lemon Dial' are known to exist. This is the oldest one, dating back to 1969, meaning that it predated some of the latest examples of the earlier 'pump pusher' Refs 6262 and 6264. Estimate: CHF 3,000,000-5,000,000.

Reference 1518 is the earliest Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch serially produced and the first produced by any manufacturer, ever. This one is the only known example double-signed and certified by Cartier. Estimate: CHF 1,500,000-2,500,000.

 

Vintage ads - Ciny (1939)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è sotto l'immagine)
"For the city – For swimming – For sports – For staff nurses”. This ad emphasised that the Ciny catalog offered timepieces suitable for a wide range of activities.       
Do you like vintage watch ads? Please visit the page about Watch Ads, my two-volume pictorial history of communication and design in 20th Century watchmaking. You can also watch the video about the publication and download a 20-page preview of Volume 1.
The vintage ads presented in this Blog are not featured in the Watch Ads books.  

ITALIANO 

"Per la città – Per il nuoto – Per lo sport – Per l’infermiera”. Questo annuncio sottolineava che il catalogo Ciny presentava orologi adatti per una vasta gamma d’attività.

Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina su Watch Ads, la mia storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Puoi anche guardare il video sull'opera e scaricare l'anteprima di 20 pagine del Volume 1.Gli annunci pubblicitari d'epoca presentati in questo Blog non sono inseriti nei volumi Watch Ads.

 

 

New releases - Code 41 Mecascape

 

A contraction of ‘mechanical’ and ‘landscape’, this timepiece can be easily slipped into a jacket pocket thanks to its thickness of only 7 mm. It features a main hour counter, minute counter, second counter, second time zone with the representation of a world map in the heart of the GMT disc, and power reserve indicator. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a Grade 5 titanium case ensure a structure suitable for everyday life. The movement is the result of the brand’s collaboration with the Cercle des Horlogers, an independent Swiss watchmaking workshop.

 

 

Historic timepieces - Churchill's watch

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è sotto la foto)  

This pocket watch was made in 1818 by Breguet and purchased in 1890 by John Spencer-Churchill, the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Later on, it was worn by the most famous of his descendants, Winston Churchill, who called it "the Turnip". It is a yellow gold minute repeater with a split-second chronograph whose serial number is 765. Its current owner is Randolph Churchill, the great grandson of the former British Prime minister.  

I took this picture a few years ago, while visiting the Churchill War Rooms in London. The caption seen at the bottom of the display window is incorrect - the timepiece is a split-second rather than flyback chronograph and entered the Churchill family in 1890 rather than 1818. 

The Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman wore a Breguet-made replica of the Turnip in the movie "Darkest Hour" (2017). That timepiece is different from the original one, which does not feature the brand's name on the dial.

 

 

ITALIANO 

Questo orologio da tasca Breguet fu acquistato nel 1890 da John Spencer-Churchill, settimo Duca di Marlborough. In seguito fu indossato dal più celebre dei suoi discendenti, Winston Churchill, che lo battezzò "la Cipolla". Si tratta di una ripetizione minuti d'oro giallo con cronografo sdoppiante, il cui numero seriale è 765. L'attuale proprietario è Randolph Churchill, bisnipote dell'ex Primo ministro britannico. 

Ho scattato la foto qualche anno fa, durante una visita al museo Churchill War Rooms di Londra. Alcune delle informazioni riportate dalla targhetta visibile in fondo alla vetrina sono inesatte: l'orologio è un cronografo sdoppiante (non flyback) ed è proprietà della famiglia Churchill dal 1890 (non 1818). 

L'attore premio Oscar Gary Holdman ha indossato una replica della "Cipolla" creata da Breguet per il film "L'ora più buia". Il pezzo è diverso dall'originale, che non aveva il nome del fabbricante sul quadrante.

L'orologio con le ali - L'intervista

Da canale YouTube Testimoni del tempo: Marco Strazzi a colloquio con Luca Bottioni sul romanzo "L'orologio con le ali". La guerra, la memoria, il coraggio, il dolore, il riscatto e... un Longines storico.

Watches of Italy

 

La terza edizione di W.O.I. - Watches Of Italy, prima mostra dedicata alla produzione orologiera italiana, si terrà sabato 15 e domenica 16 Ottobre 2022 (ingresso gratuito, dalle h.10:00 alle h.19:00) presso il Museo delle Macchine Agricole "Orsi" a Tortona, in via Emilia 446. I visitatori potranno osservare le novità presentate da 56 brand espositori. Due eventi collaterali animeranno la giornata finale: la Lectio Magistralis sui segreti e il futuro dell’orologeria italiana (dalle 15 alle 16) e l’Open Forum sull’orologeria di ieri, oggi e domani (dalle 16 alle 17:30). Clicca qui per la lista degli espositori e il programma completo della manifestazione.

 

 

New releases - C by Romain Gauthier Platinum Edition

The heritage collection of Romain Gauthier’s latest caliber features a 41 mm platinum case and a 18k gold movement. The dial is available in grey and highlighted with blue details, or in blue highlighted with white details. The in-house movement has horizontally configured ‘finger’ bridges, historically typical of the Vallée de Joux, made from 18k white gold. The hacking seconds mechanism adopts a snail cam rather than the more common straight or L-shaped balance stop lever.

 

 

 

Vintage Celebrities - Louis Armstrong (1956)

ENGLISH

In 1956, Louis Armstrong and his band successfully toured Switzerland. His fans of the Hot Club from Neuchâtel gifted him with a gold self-winding timepiece by Ernest Borel. The great American trumpeter, composer and vocalist is seen here fastening the watch to his wrist.

ITALIANO
Nel 1956 Louis Armstrong e il suo gruppo effettuarono una tournée di successo in Svizzera. I suoi fan dell’Hot Club di Neuchâtel gli fecero dono di un automatico d’oro firmato Ernest Borel. Nella foto, il grande trombettista, compositore e cantante americano si allaccia l’orologio al polso.

  

Vintage timepieces - Rolex "Jean-Claude Killy"

One of the most sought-after vintage chronographs by Rolex. Video clip by Hora, the Milan-based Italian Association of old watches lovers. Italian audio, English subtitles.

Uno dei cronografi Rolex vintage più ricercati. Video prodotto da Hora, l'Associazione italiana dei cultori dell'orologeria antica con sede a Milano. Audio in italiano, sottotitoli in inglese.

New releases - Byrne GyroDial

The brand’s inaugural creation features interchangeable indexes at the four cardinal points of its dial. Each index is displayed on the face of a flush-mounted rotating block. At midnight or at whim the jump from one display to the next is instantaneous. The caliber 5555 was designed, developed and manufactured in Switzerland by Le Temps Manufacture (Fleurier). The 41.7 titanium case is 14.8 mm thick and water resistant to 50 meters.

 

Vintage Press - Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie (1967)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

The cover of this magazine dating back to 1967 features a view of the Basel exhibition center, venue of the Swiss Watch Show since the early 1930s. As the official publication of the event, the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie (Swiss Watchmaking Magazine) published a full 20 pages guide for professional visitors that included the list of exhibitors and their stands’ location.

The editorial dealt with a statement made in 1966 by Mr Yamada, Citizen’s chairman, according to which Japan would become the world’s top watch manufacturing country in five years’ time. Should Switzerland worry about its Asian competitor? Yes and No was the answer. The current growth rhythm suggested that the five-year goal was unrealistic. As for the future, it would depend on research, development and marketing. (Japan would indeed get the top rank in 1977, only to lose it to Hong Kong one year later).

The section about selling techniques features the second instalment of what we would now call the buyer’s FAQs and the relevant answers. The main subjects were the watches’ accuracy and price, but topics such as the luminescent dials, shock absorbers and guarantee certificates were also dealt with.

Shopwindows being essential points of attraction for potential customers, the magazine offered a few tips on how to set them up. The wrong way to do that is found at the top left of the page. The two drawings on the right-hand side feature nice-looking stores.   

ITALIANO
Sulla copertina di questa rivista del 1967 troviamo una panoramica del centro espositivo di Basilea, sede della Fiera svizzera dell’orologeria fin dall’inizio degli Anni 30. Organo ufficiale della manifestazione, il Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie (Rivista svizzera dell’orologeria) pubblica una guida di 20 pagine destinata ai visitatori professionali, comprendente la lista degli espositori e l’ubicazione dei rispettivi stand.
L’editoriale (seconda foto dall’alto) è dedicato a una dichiarazione resa nel 1966 da Eiichi Yamada, presidente di Citizen, secondo la quale il Giappone diventerà il primo produttore mondiale d’orologi nel giro di cinque anni. La Svizzera deve preoccuparsi del suo concorrente asiatico? Sì e No, è la risposta. L’attuale ritmo di crescita sembra indicare che l’obiettivo dei cinque anni non è realistico. In quanto al futuro, dipenderà da fattori come la ricerca, lo sviluppo e il marketing. (nel 1977 il Giappone diventerà davvero il numero 1 mondiale, ma perderà il primato un anno dopo a favore di Hong Kong, ndr).
Nella sezione sulle tecniche di vendita (terza foto dall'alto) troviamo la seconda puntata di quelle che al giorno d’oggi chiameremmo le FAQ (domande frequenti) del compratore e le relative risposte. I temi principali sono la precisione e il prezzo degli orologi, ma c’è spazio anche per argomenti come i quadranti luminescenti, i dispositivi antiurto e i certificati di garanzia.
Visto che la vetrina è un richiamo importante per i potenziali compratori, la rivista offre qualche consiglio sull’allestimento. In alto a sinistra (foto in basso) c’è un esempio da non seguire. I due disegni sulla destra mostrano punti vendita attraenti.

 

Vintage ads - Doxa (1945)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è sotto l'immagine)
"At the peak of perfection – Self-winding – Antimagnetic – Waterproof”. Doxa chose climbing, a typical Swiss activity, to highlight the reliability and sturdiness of its sports watches.       
Do you like vintage watch ads? Please visit the page about Watch Ads, my two-volume pictorial history of communication and design in 20th Century watchmaking. You can also watch the video about the publication and download a 20-page preview of Volume 1. 

The vintage ads presented in this Blog are not featured in the Watch Ads books.

 

 

ITALIANO
"In vetta alla qualità – Automatico – Antimagnetico – Impermeabile”. Doxa ha scelto l’alpinismo, tipica attività svizzera, per evidenziare l’affidabilità e la robustezza dei suoi modelli sportivi.
Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina su Watch Ads, la mia storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Puoi anche guardare il video sull'opera e scaricare l'anteprima di 20 pagine del Volume 1.
Gli annunci pubblicitari d'epoca presentati in questo Blog non sono inseriti nei volumi Watch Ads.

 

 

New releases – Bianchet Carbon Orange Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork

 

The architecture of the movement, the design of the case and all the proportions have been thought out and designed according to the principles defined by the Golden Ratio 1.618. The Titanium-Dust-Infused Carbon used for the case is a new composite consisting of carbon fibre interlayered with titanium powder. Shock-resistant to 6000G and water resistant to 5ATM, the watch has a 105-hour power reserve and ensures a running precision of ± 4 second per day. The plate, wheel bridges and tourbillon cage are all made of titanium.