At Baselworld 2016, Arnold & Son unveiled the UTTE Skeleton ultra-thin tourbillon, a new world record holder and a darn good looking watch. Discover how Arnold & Son did more with less to make this the thinnest skeleton tourbillon watch on the market.
The first Manufacture Royale was founded during the Age of Enlightenment by French writer, historian, and philosopher Voltaire (1694–1778). Launched in 2010, the modern Manufacture Royale inherited Voltaire’s independent spirit: the aim was to create a brand ahead of its time while expressing the same sort of offbeat humor the great poet was famous for.
I’ve been trying, but have not managed, to come up with a more diplomatic way of saying this, so I’ll just come out with it: up to now, I have not generally been a fan of Bovet 1822. So I was surprised by just how much I was impressed with the Ottantasei by Pininfarina and would be very happy to wear one daily. But there is one niggle that I just can’t shake off.
Like every other Akrivia timepiece the Tourbillon Chiming Jump Hour includes a beautifully delicate tourbillon whirling away at 6 o’clock. Akrivia tourbillons are already becoming known for their fine cages and slender profiles, and the balance wheels inside share these characteristics. I love complicated mechanisms that require multiple views to fully grasp all of the detail, but sometimes it’s just so delightful to gaze upon something simply aesthetically pleasing.
As much as I love watches, I love the people who are occupied with our specialized hobby even more! So, you can imagine that I immediately began scheming about how to route my travels through New York when I opened my inbox one morning several weeks ago to find this message: “You are invited: invitation to the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Anniversary Event.”
When most people think of Seiko, they think of the mass-produced quartz watches that dominated the world’s markets in the 1980s and thereafter. What most people don’t realize is that Seiko, one of only a handful of companies able to manufacture a watch from A to Z, makes the full range all the way up to full-on mechanical handmade horological delicacies with fine finishing and artful embellishment. And they don’t come more full-on than the Seiko Credor Fugaku Tourbillon.
The Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon generated way more buzz at Baselworld 2016 than I would have expected. And the good news is that the buzz was incredibly positive, which could be seen as a bit surprising given the very playful nature of this timepiece. Could Monsieur Nardin have foretold the advent of this marine-inspired tourbillon in his day? I doubt it, then it is even today uniquely complicated.
While it is usually vibrant color that trumps the monotone hue of the dials emerging from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s “Métiers Rares Atelier,” in this particular case it is about ten layers of a carefully polished opaque black that draws the eye.
Meet the latest version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon, a mesmerizing mechanical treasure with a jet black enamel dial.
While at first sight it appears far less “outlandish” than the U10, there is little about the Angelus U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon that is actually conventional or trendy, beside the fact that it has a round case.
Conceptually, at least, one could say that the U20 picks up right where the previous release called the U10 left off, experimenting with transparency and spotlighting skeletonization.
And what else?
After arduous and exhausting trials of skill and wit over many years of one’s life, sometimes the best path is the one with new challenges and goals. This is especially true if you are a watchmaker tasked with learning and disseminating all of the extremely difficult skills of traditional watchmaking. This is the true story of Michel Boulanger and the conclusion of his first epic adventure and the beginning of the next one. This is the end of the story of Naissance d’une Montre, Le Garde Temps. Or is it?