Introduced at Baselworld 2013, the stunning Urban Jürgensen ‘Montre Observatoire Enamel’ features the in-house UJS P8 caliber with pivoted detent escapement and an oven-fired enamel dial that will keep its pristine look for many generations. Creating the dial requires no less than 15 separate layers of enamel, each individually oven-fired, on a gold base dial.
When MB&F launched its Legacy Machine collection in 2011 with LM1, it was with no small amount of trepidation. The young brand had quickly developed an excellent reputation and passionate following by creating avant-garde Horological Machines, and it certainly wasn’t a given that round watches featuring a reinterpretation of traditional complications would be as well accepted.
Retrospective: One of the most significant watches of 2013 was Urwerk’s EMC. And it’s no wonder why, as it features an integrated optical timing sensor, on-board generator, fold-out winding handle (to power the optical timing sensor), precision delta indication, and on the back a user-friendly timing adjustment screw. As if that’s not enough, EMC also happens to have Urwerk’s first in-house movement.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we just love the wild Richard Mille RM 59-01 Tourbillon Yohan Blake. Its asymmetrical case is made of a translucent composite injected with carbon nanotubes, resulting in the unusual shade somewhat resembling Paleolithic amber. The use of anticorodal PB109 aluminum (an alloy comprising aluminum, magnesium, silicon and lead) make the watch – which includes a tourbillon – very light and shock-resistant.
To mark its 50th anniversary in 2009, the International Museum of Horology in Le Locle, Switzerland launched an international chronometry competition. This effectively broke a long drought of 37 years since the last timing trial, which was held by the Observatory of Neuchâtel back in 1972.
